Good morning, here's what you need to know today.
Self-testing for Covid-19 Beginning this month, Putrajaya adopted a more liberal Covid-19 testing policy by approving self-testing kits. To date, three antigen rapid test kits have been approved: Free Rapid Antigen Test Kits
1) Salixium (91.4% sensitivity; 100% specificity) - Saliva and nasal swab (Malaysia)
2) Gmate (90.9% sensitivity; 100% specificity) - Saliva (South Korea)
3) Beright (90.1% sensitivity; 99.3% specificity) - Saliva (China) How to make sense of the performance metrics? Sensitivity means the rate at which the kit will correctly identify a positive result while specificity means the rate at which it will correctly detect negative results. 91.4 percent sensitivity means out of 100 tests, 8.6 of them could be false negatives. 100 percent specificity means there won't be any false positives. Errors can be minimised by taking more than one test. You should note that these test kits are not authoritative tools to confirm if you have Covid-19. It serves as a guide for you to decide if you need to get an RT-PCR test, the gold standard for Covid-19 testing, but also a pricier option. The Salixium and Gmate kits are fixed at around RM39.90 with discounts for bulk purchases. Beright will go on sale in the near future. While the first two are already widely sold on shopping platforms, it is advisable to order from the website of a reliable pharmacy to avoid fake products.
MP: Rethink Covid-19 testing strategy He notes the high positivity rate. 'Allow all to record Covid-19 their vaccine shot'This call comes after complaints of blank shots. Woman with Covid-19 dies in front of clinic She came there to seek treatment.
Doctors under pressure Active Covid-19 cases continued to climb, breaking 140,000 yesterday, more than doubling from 69,447 in 17 days. This contributed to dire scenes at public hospitals, particularly in the Klang Valley, with some Covid-19 patients sleeping on the floor due to overcapacity. Doctors are also facing tremendous pressure, some of whom can no longer take the pressure and have quit. Malaysiakini learnt that at least 15 doctors at one public hospital had quit in the last two weeks. Many of them are contract doctors who face the prospect of losing their jobs after their five-year tenure, even after giving their all to fight the Covid-19 pandemic due to a lack of permanent placements. Hartal Doktor Kontrak, a group lobbying the government to address the problem, said it will proceed with a one-day strike on July 26 after Putrajaya failed to provide a solution.
Ambulance exhaust leak leaves 1 deadThree more were found unconscious. Licensed moneylenders have a part to play too - Zuraida She says this helps people to avoid loan sharks. Zuraida convinced sanitisation helpsShe assures that the cost is cheap.
Under 18s and vaccination The government said those aged under 18 may register for the Covid-19 vaccine but they won't get an appointment for now. Why is the government holding back on vaccinating teenagers even though schools are set to reopen in September? This is due to data on heart inflammation-related side effects (myocarditis and pericarditis) coming out from the US. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 720 myocarditis or pericarditis cases were reported among those who have received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. More than a third of those cases affected people aged 17 and below.
However, with 161.9 million people in the US already fully vaccinated, the 720 cases only make up a minuscule proportion, although it disproportionately affects younger people. The US primarily uses three types of vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The first two use mRNA technology that has a small chance of heart inflammation issues but are treatable with early intervention. Pfizer-BioNTech is the only mRNA vaccine being used in Malaysia right now. The US still recommends those aged 12-17 to get vaccinated as it concludes that the benefits outweigh the risks.
MOH told to identify children who lost parents to Covid-19 This is so that aid can be extended to them. PTPTN will aid eight siblings orphaned by Covid-19 Both their parents died within three days. MOH using new drug cocktail to prevent severe Covid-19 - Adham Patients should update on their condition.
A daily glance at Covid-19
'Want to kena whack?' man asks if the media want his autographHe said this after he was charged for two offences. Cops suspend station chief nabbed over drug party The officer tested positive for marijuana. Tengku Adnan blames Dr M for his corruption trial He says the charges were trumped up.
Antigen Kit Result A carton of eggs, a kitchen full of supplies By Fa Abdul Don't give like a cheap politician By Francis Pauh Siah What can we do about mental health problems? By Alvin Ng Lai Oon