Malaysian Health Ministry Should Educate People on the Benefits of Wearing Face Masks

The Bandar Kuching MP Dr. Kelvin Yii said that the Ministry of Public Health needs to speed up the process of educating the public on the benefits of wearing face masks in public, in light of the potential lifting of the face mask mandate in the country.

The DAP lawmaker issued a statem...

Singapore to Provide Free Emergency Covid Care

The Singaporean cabinet has announced the provision of free emergency Covid care for patients showing moderate or severe symptoms as per the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients Plus Scheme after 16th March.

The spokesperson for the deputy governor, Traisuree Taisaranakul, said tha...

Thai Health Ministry Plans to Remove COVID-19 From its Emergency Coverage List on 1st March

The Public Health Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, has said that the Covid-19 patients will not be covered by the country’s scheme of Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients after 1st March 2022. He added that the patients will have to pay their own medical bills in case of admi...

Thailand’s Health Ministry Expects Covid-19 to Become an Endemic this year

The Public Health Ministry of Thailand has announced its plans of moving the Covid-19 from the pandemic to endemic status in 2022. The country’s permanent secretary for public health, Dr. Kiattiphum Wongrajit, said that the country was able to achieve this because of the people’s coop...

JAPAN HEALTH MINISTRY PANEL APPROVES PFIZER VACCINE FOR 12-15 YEAR OLDS

Highlights –

• Japan health ministry panel approves Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 year olds.
• The panel also gave the green light to extending the vaccine's maximum storage period.
• Pfizer has been working with the Pharmaceuticals and Medi...

JAPAN TO DISCUSS APPROVAL FOR MODERNA, ASTRAZENECA’S COVID-19 VACCINE

Highlights –

• Japan to discuss approval for Moderna, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
• The formal approval could be expected to come on Friday.
• The same vaccines are used overseas for people aged 18 or older.
• Prime Minister Yosh...

JAPAN PLANNING TO INOCULATE CHILDREN BETWEEN 12 & 15 AGAINST COVID-19

Highlights –

• Japan planning to inoculate children between 12 & 15 against COVID-19.
• Japan has so far authorized vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE.
• The details of the plan if the children can receive free shots with ...

47 CASES OF ANAPHYLAXIS FOUND AMONG VACCINATED HEALTH WORKERS IN JAPAN

Highlights –

• 47 cases of anaphylaxis found among vaccinated health workers in Japan.
• The allergic reaction is said to be from Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine.
• The ministry however reported that everyone had recovered and there wa...

JAPAN’S SUICIDE RATE AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN INCREASED THE MOST IN 2020

Highlights –

• Japan’s suicide rate among school children increased the most in 2020.
• In 2020 number of suicides among school children came up to 499.
• The rate of suicide was far higher among high school girls, i.e 140.

JAPAN’S DAIICHII BIOTECH STARTS MANUFCATURING ASTRAZENECA’S COVID-19 VACCINE

Highlights –

• Japan’s Daiichi Biotech starts manufacturing AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
• The Japanese drugmaker has begun manufacturing the vaccine based on an outsourcing agreement.
• The vaccine will be supplied after gai...

COVID-19 VACCINATION OF ELDERLY PEOPLE IN JAPAN LIKELY TO BE DELAYED

Highlights –

• COVID-19 vaccination of elderly people in Japan likely to be delayed.
• The initially anticipated date for inoculating elderly people was April.
• Japan govt. is unsure about the subsequent shipments of the vaccines due to t...

JAPAN RECEIVES ITS 1ST COVID-19 VACCINES FROM PFIZER INC.

Highlights –

• Japan receives its 1st COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc.
• The vaccines are likely to be approved for domestic use on Sunday.
• Inoculations in Japan will begin on Wednesday if the approval is kept on schedule.
• Ar...

JAPAN HEALTH MINISTRY REPORTS LESS THAN 1% OF PEOPLE HAD COVID-19 ANTIBODIES

Highlights –

• Japan Health Ministry reports less than 1% of people had COVID-19 antibodies.
• The govt. conducted tests of about 15,000 individuals at the end of 2020.
• Five prefectures participated in the antibodies test.
• In T...

JAPAN GOVT. TO SECURE 20,000 FREEZERS FOR HOSPITAL STORAGE OF COVID-19 VACCINES

Highlights –

• Japan govt. to secure 20,000 freezers for hospital storage of COVID-19 vaccines.
• The govt. will sign contracts with four freezer makers.
• Japan govt. has secured 310 million vaccine doses from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc., an...

JAPAN TO COLLECT DATA OF PEOPLE INFECTED WITH COVID-19 EVEN AFTER VACCINATION

Highlights –

• Japan to collect data of people infected with COVID-19 even after vaccination.
• The health ministry will prepare a system to gather vaccination records of all infected people.
• It will then evaluate the effectiveness of the...

HEALTH MINISTRY ASKED TO LOOK INTO ADOPTION AGENCY’S ROLE IN ABUSE DEATH CASE

Highlights –

• Health Ministry asked to look into adoption agency’s role in abuse death case.
• S. Korea’s Children’s Rights activists came forward and urged the same to the ministry.
• The activists also demanded Hol...

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN S. KOREA STAGE PROTESTS AGAINST COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS

Highlights –

• Small business owners in S. Korea stage protests against COVID-19 restrictions.
• Several coffee shops, bars, and internet cafes joined the growing list of small business owner protests.
• The complaints have grown ever sinc...

SOUTH KOREA LIKELY TO SIGN COVID-19 VACCINE DEAL WITH J&J JANSSEN, PFIZER

Highlights –

• South Korea likely to sign a COVID-19 vaccine deal with J&J Janssen and Pfizer.
• The South Korean health ministry said to have procured vaccine deals from four pharmaceutical companies.
• The government has set aside 1.3...

SKIN MEDICATION TAINTED WITH A SLEEP-INDUCING DRUG KILLS A WOMAN IN JAPAN

Highlights –

• Skin medication tainted with a sleep-inducing drug kills a woman in Japan.
• Kobayashi Kako Co., the maker of the drug announced the death of the woman.
• The woman passed away after ingesting “Itraconazole tablet 50 &l...

JAPAN TO USE RESERVATION SYSTEM TO CARRY OUT VACCINATIONS AT THE MUNICIPALITY LEVEL

Highlights –

• Japan to use reservation system to carry out vaccinations at the municipality level.
• The plan has been approved by a panel of experts ahead of March’s mass vaccination program.
• Around 10,500 freezers capable of stor...