Staying protected: Leow Pui Ling, 28, getting her second booster shot at iHEAL Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: There has been a 51% increase in the number of people being vaccinated over the last two weeks, as new Omicron sub-variants create fears of another Covid-19 wave.
According to figures from ProtectHealth, vaccination went up from 38,822 during the week of June 27-July 3 to 50,774 during the week of July 4-July 10, a 31% increase.
ALSO READ:Better safe than sorry, say those getting second booster
From the week of July 11-July 17, there was a 51% increase to 76,433.
As infections and hospitalisations rise across the country, health experts are also calling for Malaysians, especially those over 60 as well as the medically vulnerable, to get their second booster shot.
This is because the Omicron sub-variants are highly contagious and can bypass immunity from a past infection or vaccination.
Public health expert Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming of Universiti Malaya said the Omicron sub-variant BA.5 could evade antibody responses in people with previous Covid-19 infection and those who had been fully vaccinated and boosted.
“Reinfections may be inevitable but boosters will help provide protection against severe symptoms, hospitalisation and even death.
“Even though the BA.5 does not seem to cause more severe symptoms compared to BA.1 and BA.2, the elderly and vulnerable groups will likely experience severe symptoms,” Prof Moy said.
She cautioned that if the total caseload increases tremendously, even with a low percentage of hospitalisation, the number will be a huge burden on the healthcare system.
“We don’t want to lose precious lives if it can be prevented,” she said.
For those below 60, it may not be necessary to take the second booster at this moment.
“If this group of individuals had received their third dose, they should be well protected from severe symptoms,” said Prof Moy.
“When new vaccines are able to bring a stronger immune response against all new variants, then a second booster may be offered to all.”
Prof Moy also said Malaysians should consider taking a flu shot if they were in the high-risk group, especially those aged 65 and above, and with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and weakened immune system.
Public health expert Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 were known to evade immunity, hence breakthrough infections could occur.
“The risk will be reduced if you obtain another booster,” she said.
“The elderly, immunocompromised, as well as people with morbidities and frontliners should be prioritised for a second booster. But now, even those who are young and have received only two doses should get a third jab,” she said.
Prof Sharifa Ezat also reminded the public to get tested for Covid-19 and influenza if symptomatic, as these can mimic each other and it is possible to get infected with both.
“This impedes recovery. If possible, get vaccinated against both,” she said.
“The government should work on obtaining supply for flu tests and pushing the flu vaccine price down.”
Volunteers For Community Engagement and Empowerment For Covid-19 chairman Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar reminded Malaysians to continue with good personal health practices such as wearing a face mask, avoiding crowded places, self-testing and quarantining if positive with Covid-19, as well as observing a good diet.
Researchers noted that the CoVarScan test detects small mutations to measure the length of repetitive genetic regions that tend to grow and shrink as the virus evolves. — Photo: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/dpa
CoVarScan can identify all current variants of SARS-COV-2 within hours by finding the signatures of eight hotpots on the deadly virus.
The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern researchers have created a rapid Covid-19 test that can identify different variants of the coronavirus in as little as four hours.
The researchers hope doctors can use their test, called CoVarScan, to tailor Covid-19 treatments to patients based on which variant the patients have.
CoVarScan could also be used to track which variants are cropping up in different communities, and even identify new ones.
“It was such a pleasure and, really, an honour to be able to take this skillset, what we have, and build something that has public health utility,” said Andrew Clark, an assistant professor of pathology at UT Southwestern and an author of the study.
The research was published in the journal Clinical Chemistry recently.
Scanning for a specific variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a bit different from a typical rapid test.
Dr Jeff SoRelle, an assistant professor of pathology at UT Southwestern, said a normal rapid Covid-19 test is a bit like going into a library and asking if they have a specific book.
You get a “yes” or “no” answer.
Looking for variants is like reading specific paragraphs in two similar books to figure out whether the books are in their second or third edition.
Between editions, words may be added, deleted or changed altogether.
Finding out which edition of SARS-CoV-2 someone has is usually done by a process called “whole genome sequencing,” where scientists look at the entire viral sequence – or, read the entire book – to figure out where the differences are.
That process can be expensive and takes one to four weeks to produce results.
CoVarScan works by looking at just eight regions, or hotspots, of the SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence instead.
Each variant looks a little bit different at these hotspots.
Dr SoRelle’s team can analyse each of the regions to identify a unique pattern of mutation that’s specific to each variant.
They’ve also used CoVarScan to identify different subvariants of Omicron.
“They create unique signatures, or fingerprints, of mutations,” Dr SoRelle said. “We can really tell the difference between each of them.”
To make sure CoVarScan was getting it right, the team ran just under 4,000 samples from positive Covid-19 nasal swabs through the test. They checked CoVarScan’s results against results from whole genome sequencing.
Dr SoRelle and his team found that CoVarScan was highly effective at identifying variants correctly.
What makes CoVarScan unique is its ability to not only detect existing variants, but also detect new variants that have yet to develop.
The team began this research in January 2021, before the Delta and Omicron variants existed.
Once they know the genetic sequence of a new variant, CoVarScan can look for the variant’s unique fingerprint of mutations along with the existing ones.
“We wouldn’t necessarily need to change what we do in the testing,” he said. “Just change what we’re looking for.”
Padmapriya Banada, a research assistant professor at Rutgers University who was not involved with the study said CoVarScan’s ability to detect future variants as well as current ones is critically important.
However, one challenge in making CoVarScan more widespread is that it identifies hotspots using scientific equipment that every lab might not have.
She said more work will be necessary to implement CoVarScan at places like schools or doctors’ offices that might not have such technical equipment on hand.
“It does need some technical expertise,” Banada said. “But considering what it offers, it probably overcomes those limitations.”
CoVarScan is already provided to anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Dr SoRelle is working with Dallas County to see if CoVarScan can help hospitals track what variants are most common in their area. – TNS
PETALING JAYA: MySejahtera has rolled out new features that allow users to check their health records, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
“Health screenings record and our children’s vaccination record can also be seen on MySejahtera.
“Update your app starting from today to have these new features,” he said on his Twitter account yesterday.
In the two pictures alongside his tweet, the health record of a seven-year-old boy, including his latest health report at a clinic, was shown.
In the health report, the boy’s last updated height, weight, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol level, blood glucose level and blood pressure reading were shown, complete with a health screening summary below.
The app also listed the boy’s vaccines and his next vaccine appointment date and time.
A list of upcoming vaccines yet to be administered was also shown.
MySejahtera users can access the features after updating the app on their mobile phones.
Meanwhile, in IPOH, Khairy said users’ data in the MySejahtera app would continue to be secured amid its recent upgrade.
“The app has never been hacked and since we are adding more features, we have done several things to secure it and will continue to do so to ensure the safety of the data.
“The ministry is keeping the data, not others,” he told reporters after launching the Health National Malaysia Agenda road tour at Meru Raya.
“The information can only be shared if the users give their permission,” he added.
Khairy said no data of MySejahtera users were leaked after investigating complaints and reports of unsolicited one-time password (OTP) text messages and spam email from the Covid-19 app’s helpdesk.
Separately, Khairy said more beds would be prepared in hospitals for influenza patients if needed.
“Like during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have prepared beds, so if the influenza cases continue to spike, we can supply more beds.
“Apart from preparing the beds, we will also ensure that there is sufficient stock of medicine in the market so the public need not be admitted into hospitals to recover at home,” he added.
On Friday, Khairy said the ministry had agreed to release the federal stockpile to private hospitals and clinics facing medicine shortages such as for flu and fever, and medication for children.
He also advised the public not to overbuy medicines.
Khairy also said that the ministry focuses on getting at least 1.5 million Malaysians aged 40 and above to get a health screening.
“We believe that’s the figure of those who have not done any health screening before.
“They will go for screening from July to December,” he said, adding that more than 50% of the adult population in the country has never done any health screening.
“The screening is important to prevent and cure any health problems.
“We realised that many might not have the accessibility to go for a health screening, so we will conduct more outreach programmes,” he added.
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What is the Unification Church and could it be linked to former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination?
A bride poses for a photo before a giant image of the late founder of Unification Church Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han before a mass wedding ceremony in Gapyeong on September 7, 2017. Photo: AFP
The curtains have come down on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after the sobering end of his funeral. But the cloud of suspicion surrounding his assassination still looms large in the minds of many around the world. Sentiments of shock continue to be expressed at the fact that Japan's worst political assassination since World War II is related to a cult.
On July 8, Abe was fatally shot while addressing a crowd at a campaign stop in Nara by a 41-year-old man identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, who confessed to the police that he "did not resent Abe's political beliefs," but that his resentment toward the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, a religious movement founded in South Korea, turned into a desire to kill the former national leader.
Yamagami believed Abe had promoted a religious group to which his mother made a "huge donation," Kyodo news agency has said, citing investigative sources. His mother subsequently went bankrupt.
The police investigation into the assassination prompted the head of the Japanese branch of the Unification Church to confirm on July 11 that Yamagami's mother is a member.Looking back on the history of the Unification Church, people have seen the specter of an extremist religious group looming over the political arena of Japan, South Korea, and even the US.
In the mid-1960s, Abe's maternal grandfather and former Japanese Prime Minister, Nobusuke Kishi, would never have imagined that his association with Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, would sow the seed that eventually led to the death of his grandson.
Expansion of a cultMoon founded the Unification Church in South Korea in 1954. Within a year, about 30 church centers had sprung up. Moon began organizing the Unification Church on a large scale in the US in the early 1970s. He also sent his church emissaries to Japan in the early days when the Unification Church developed fast. He settled in the US in 1972.
One of the activities that the Unification Church likes to practice is Tetsuya Yamagami. Moon claimed that he can complete the unfulfilled task of Jesus: To restore humankind to a state of perfection by producing sinless children, and by blessing couples who would produce them. According to media reports, thousands of couples often attended such mass weddings. But those couples would only meet each other weeks prior and they went into marriage based on Moon's arrangement. Many had to remain separated for several years doing church work.
Thousands of couples attend a mass wedding held by the Unification
Church on August 27, 2018 in Gapyeong, South Korea. Photo: VCG
At the same time, Moon was particularly interested in politics. Church leaders plotted a strategy to defend former US President Richard M. Nixon for his role in the Watergate crisis and held rallies in support of him. In the late 1970s, Moon was embroiled in many scandals and was under investigation by US federal authorities mainly over allegations that he has ties to South Korean intelligence and was involved in bribing members of Congress to support President Park Chung-hee, according to a New York Times report.
Moon liked to court world leaders and politicians to advance the Unification Church and sometimes he behaved quite oddly.
Moon, who spoke fluent Japanese, launched an anti-communist group in Japan in the late 1960s, the International Federation for Victory Over Communism, and built relations with Japanese politicians, according to the church's publications, Reuters reported.
Nobusuke Kishi, Abe's maternal grandfather and a former prime minister, was an honorary executive chair at a group banquet hosted by Moon, the International Federation for Victory Over Communism said on its website.
In 2004, Moon had himself crowned "humanity's savior" in front of members of Congress at a Capitol Hill luncheon, read the New York Times report.
Prominent people including the US president were paid to appear at Moon-linked conferences. "The first President George Bush did so after he left office. Others, like former President Gerald R. Ford, Bill Cosby, Mikhail S. Gorbachev, and Jack Kemp, attended banquets and gatherings, sometimes saying later that they had not known of a connection between Moon and the organizations that invited them," said the New York Times report.The Unification Church has a long history of courting Republican officials as part of a propaganda campaign, according to media outlet The Independent. In September 2021, former US President Donald Trump appeared in a virtual address linked to the Unification Church. He praised the founders of the Unification Church. Abe also participated in the same event.
The Financial Times reported that for decades, close ties between the Unification Church in Japan and prominent figures in the governing Liberal Democratic Party have been an open secret in Japanese politics.
"The Unification Church has a strong capacity for brainwashing with propaganda and external expansion. Through the establishment of personal worship and an emphasis on donations for purposes of enrichment, meddling in private property distribution and marriage autonomy of the congregation, the group has garnered a loyal following," an Beijing-based expert on Japan studies surname Zhou told the Global Times.
On the other hand, Zhou pointed out that, through generous political cash and mutual exploitation, the Unification Church has gradually gained a strong foothold in East Asia and the world.
Along with the expansion of the Unification Church was the growth of Moon's business empire. He was involved in many industries in South Korea and also had various commercial interests in Japan. Right-wing nationalist donors in Japan were said to be an important financial source. In the US, he had business interests in a range of fields including jewelry and construction, and bought properties including the New Yorker Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
"In addition to spreading extremist ideas, the Unification Church also has a strong sense of modern business management, operating the religious group as a company, investing and expanding extensively in industry, finance, culture, education, media, and other industries, providing the basis for a 'virtuous' cycle of development for the expansion of its extremist ideology and political infiltration," Zhou said.
The church has about 600,000 members in Japan, out of 10 million globally, Reuters reported.
Thousands of couples attend a mass wedding held by the Unification Church on August 27, 2018 in Gapyeong, South Korea. Photo: VCG
Conservative tone
During the Cold War, the Unification Church movement was criticized by the mainstream media for its anti-Communist activism.
In 2010, Moon bought the US-based media publication the Washington Times into the New World Communications, an international media conglomerate similar to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which owns Fox News. The conglomerate was directly affiliated with Moon's Unification Church, the US News reported.
The newspaper often plays up claims that the Chinese mainland will "invade" the island of Taiwan, for example, citing US officials who accuse the Chinese military of posing an "acute threat" to the island
The New York Times reported that Moon acknowledged that in the two decades since the founding of The Washington Times in 1982, he pumped in more than $1 billion in subsidies to keep it going.
In 2002, during the 20th anniversary party for the Washington Times, Moon said, "The Washington Times will become the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world," the Washington Post reported in 2009.
Unification is a political concept, and the Unification Church, which uses this concept as its name, has always been a heretical religious organization with distinct political positions and intentions, Zhou noted.
Unification Church followers hold a memorial service mourning the death of their leader Sun Myung Moon in the church's Seoul headquarters on September 3, 2012.? Photo: AFP
Alarm bells
The cultist elements behind the Abe assassination have set off alarms in China, which has maintained a zero-tolerance attitude toward cults through various efforts.
The Unification Church has been classified as a cult since the 1990s in China. In May 1997, the Ministry of Public Security listed the Unification church as a cultic organization, according to chinafxj.com, a website promoting China's anti-cult policies under the State Council.
The chinafxj.com website states that the Unification Church has been infiltrating China since as early as the country's Reform and Opening-up in 1978 in the name of investment, sponsorship, and tourism, in a bid to take root in China and expand its influence.
In recent years, the cult's infiltration efforts have become more active in China. Its affiliated organization "International Education Foundation," for instance, carried out penetration activities in some cities in the name of cultural exchange and educational cooperation. The church also set up branches secretly in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Xi'an, and other major cities to carry out illegal missionary activities. Sunmoon University also tried to absorb Chinese believers via cooperation with China's universities, said the website.
Currently in China, the Unification Church is among the list of 18 defined cultist organizations masquerading as Christian churches, according to chinafxj.com.
The cults share similar traits and modes of operation, such as deifying leaders or founders, promoting inhumane, antisocial, and immoral theories, and inciting the public to confront the larger society, Yan Kejia, director of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Religious Studies, told the Global Times. "The cults could easily confuse the public by taking advantage of religious beliefs and feudal superstition."
China has been cracking down on cults, especially since the late 1990s, Yan noted. "The efforts have been greatly beneficial. The campaigns against cults are widely understood and supported by the public and have brought a breath of fresh air to the society."
"The Abe incident proved that governments should pay great attention to issues surrounding cultic activities. It also reminds China that the work to fight cults should be consistently enhanced," he said.
In this file photo taken on April 21, 2015 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waves as he headed for Indonesia at the Tokyo International
Airport. Photo:AFP
Chaos was rampant in China's westernmost region. As explosions and other violence struck terror in the hearts of
residents in the country's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from 1990 to 2016. The victims and survivors should be remembered in China's current
fight against terrorism. Take a look back at who is the black hand
behind the attacks.
The greatest irony of this whole situation is: the US's war in Afghanistan and wars/regime-changes in the Middle East, are what what had exacerbated this crap happening in Xinjiang to begin with. And to make matters worse: The US solution to its "terrorism problem" was to cause genocide scale damage to these countries.
Create the problem, do the most damage, and then tell China that when China addresses its own security concerns with good faith, that China is being "genocide"???
Also, consider the statistics. The % of Uyghur: Han ratio of Xinjiang population has increased (meaning, there's more Uyghur than Han now compared to in the past). and when the West says "the birth rates have fallen" : it is literally falling from 1 positive number to a slightly smaller POSITIVE number. That means the birth rates are still positive! Even some other areas of China have negative birth rates. ??? The NED/Zenz fanatics are full of absolute nonsens
Thousands of couples attend a mass wedding held by the Unification
Church on August 27, 2018 in Gapyeong, South Korea. Photo: VCG 
fanfusuzi