Covid-19 cases in Sarawak have jumped to 129 today

 KUCHING, February 8, 2022 - The number of Covid-19 positive cases in Sarawak today has breached the 100-mark for the first time this year, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC)  said in a statement. 

According to the latest figures, the state recorded 129 cases compared to 84 recorded yesterday. 

The latest figures bring the total cumulative cases to 253,216 since the first case was detected in 2020. 

SDMC said out of 129 cases, 65 of them were clinically classified as Category One (without symptoms) and 54 as Category Two (with mild symptoms). 

There were no news cases classified as categories 3 to 5. 

SDMC said there were no deaths due to Covid-19 infections reported today. 

Kuching registered the most number with 54 cases today, followed by Sibu with 35, Miri 18, Limbang nine, Kapit four, Song and Bintulu with three each while Lundu, Meradong and Samarahan with one each. 

There are no reports of Covid-19 cases in other districts. 

SDMC said there are also no reports of new Covid-19 clusters.

National Recovery Council has recommended for the opening up of the national economy by March 1, says Chong Chieng Jen

 KUCHING, February 8, 2022 - The National Recovery Council (NRC) today recommended for the opening up of the country’s economy, which will involve the opening of the borders to foreigners to enter the country, by March 1, Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, who is also a member of the council, said today.

Picture: Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen hopes that Sarawak will also open its borders to foreigners

He said the recommendation was proposed at NRC meeting chaired by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Ministry of Finance building at Putrajaya.

“Among  the things resolved in the meeting is the opening up of our economy by March 1 whereby foreigners will be allowed to enter the country upon tested negative of Covid-19 and without the need to quarantine.

“This resolution of the meeting will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval,” Chong, who is also Stampin Member of Parliament, said in a statement.

Among those who attended the meeting were Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, Minister of International Trade and Industry, Minister of Works and Minister of Economy,

According to Chong, the council members gave their support to the recommendation.

“Now that Singapore, Thailand, England, Australia and many other countries are gradually opening up their borders and removing the need for quarantine upon entry into their countries, Malaysia cannot afford to continue imposing quarantine on foreigners.  

“Therefore, it is most likely that the Cabinet will endorse the recommendation of the NRC,” he said.

He  hoped that the state government make preparations to draw up the necessary standard operating procedures (SOPs) for such opening of the borders for foreign arrivals.

He said the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) will not be in disarray and slow to follow suit when the time comes.

“Our domestic economy has suffered tremendously over the past two years of the pandemic where tourists were literally reduced to zero.  

“Not only the tourism industry suffered but many other sectors of the economy also suffered,” he said, adding that the people’s predicaments were made worse with the confusing SOPs imposed by the SDMC which at times differed from the Ministry of Health.

“Therefore, I urge the state government to quickly make preparation for the opening of borders, standardise the SOPs and communicate with the private sectors to get them ready for the recovery plan,” he said.

Kelvin Yii to MoH: Reach out to the unvaccinated and un-boosted to shorten period of Omicron variant surge

KUCHING, February 8, 2022: Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii has called on the federal government and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to ramp up their strategic communications to reach out to the unvaccinated and even the un-boosted in order to shorten "the surge period" in view of the current fourth wave of infections due to the highly infectious Omicron variant.

Picture: Kelin Yii says  MoH data has shown that a wider booster coverage could lead to reduction in hospitalisation

He said these include engaging and encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated including the 5-11 year olds.

“While many reports have said that the severity of the Omicron variant may be milder, but its impact should not be underestimated, and we must not let our guards down and maintain our preparedness for fighting the pandemic,” he said in a statement today.

“What is of concern now is that while Delta may be perceived as a "pandemic of the un-vaccinated", then Omicron could be the "pandemic of the un-boosted",” he added.

Yii said the real world data all around the world shows booster Covid-19 shots significantly restore protection against the Omicron variant and help to prevent serious symptoms, which could lead to reduction of hospitalisation and intensive care unit (ICU) treatment.

He said data from MoH has shown that a wider booster coverage could lead to a reduction in hospitalisation rate as seen here in Sarawak.

“That is why a “booster dose campaign” must be launched to exponentially increase our booster dose uptake to ensure the most vulnerable are getting the most optimum protection.

“As of February 6, 2022, 52.8 per cent of adults have received their boosters,” he  said, pointing out that there are one million senior citizens who are not yet boosted and 3.5 million individuals who were fully vaccinated with Sinovac vaccines have not yet received their boosters.

“Hence the government must also improve their risk communication and allay concerns of those still hesitant to take the vaccine or the booster dose,” he said.

Yii added another important demographic of course is the children and engagements must be done with parents to allay some of their concerns.

“Such engagements is not just about the volume done, but more importantly it must be continuous, consistent and also widespread.

“A campaign or roadshow can be done in public areas including shopping malls and even in schools. They can set up booths in such areas to answer questions parents may have on vaccination.

“The government can also set up a website with all necessary and updated information as well as FAQs where parents can go and get updated and verified information.

“Another concern is to deal with logistical issues that may be faced by parents to bring their children for vaccination.

“I hope the government will issue directive for their civil servants and even incentivise the private sector to allow parents to take leave to bring their children for vaccination in designated PPVs and even if needed time off to take care of their children if they develop certain adverse effects,” he said. 

Yii said the government should also look at doing such vaccinations at schools to address possible logistical issues especially in the rural areas, saying that vaccines have  always been administered among children in schools, and such mechanism can be done for the Covid-19 vaccination.

He said the increase of positive cases is inevitable with Omicron and it will increase in the next few weeks.

However, he said, the data and facts clearly shows that vaccination and public health intervention works.

Willie: Agri-commodity sector contributed RM189.5 billion to the Malaysian economy in 2021

DUBAI, February 7, 2022 - Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Willie Mongin said today palm oil, cocoa and pepper agri-commodities  must capitalise on the World Expo platform to enhance trade and bilateral ties between Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) industry players. 

Picture: Datuk Willie Mongin says despite the rough economic climate worldwide, Malaysia agri-commodity trade continues to perform reasonably well

He said it is also a strategic gateway to one of the most important geo-economic trends that will shape our world, with the rise of the emerging markets and development of global halal industry. 

“I sincerely hope we can raise more awareness, build bridges, and share our knowledge on sustainable agri-commodities development and efforts through our specially designed Sustainable Agri-commodity exhibition and line-up of events at the Malaysia Pavilion,” he said at the launch of Sustainable Agri-Commodities (Food-based Agri-Commodities) Week at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE. 

Willie said that despite the rough economic climate worldwide, Malaysia agri-commodity trade continues to perform reasonably well. 

“From January to November 2021, the agri-commodity sector has contributed total export revenue of RM189.5 billion to the Malaysian economy. 

“This value has exceeded Malaysia’s total export revenue for year 2020 of RM152 billion,” he said. 

He hoped that Malaysia’s presence at the World Expo 2020 Dubai will help to tap the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) market, as well as, explore and facilitate potential joint ventures and foreign investment from the MENA region. 

He said for the palm oil industry, the concept of Sustainable Agri-commodity provides a strong platform for Malaysia to expand the global market for palm oil exports. 

“As Malaysia’s main agri-commodity export, this industry has contributed significantly in providing a continuous inflow of earnings through the export of raw commodities and value-added products. 

“In 2021, palm oil exports earned USD24.6 billion (RM102.3 billion) for Malaysia, with Malaysian palm oil exports in 2021 were recorded at 15.56 million tonnes, while production was at 18.14 million tonnes. 

“This figure also accounted for 24% of the world’s palm oil production and 31% of the exports,” Willie said. 

“As the fourth largest contributor to the Malaysian economy, the palm oil industry would be able to maintain its 2021 performance in 2022, backed by various intensified marketing and promotional efforts to be conducted by the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities and its agencies. 

“Last year, Malaysian palm oil and palm oil products exported to the Middle East amounted to 2.4 million tonnes, with a value of US$1.7 billion,” he added. 

He said UAE took up 10% of the total palm oil and palm oil products exported to this region, valued at US$192 million. Adding that the estimated export value of palm oil and palm oil products to the Middle East in 2021 was approximately US$2.5 billion. 

On cocoa Industry, Willie said the contributed RM6.23 billion tom Malaysia’s export earnings in 2020. 

“With global cocoa consumption projected to be worth US$120 billion at present (US$1=RM4.18),the ministry has drafted various initiatives to achieve the targeted export value as well as harness the industry high potential,” he said. 

He said Malaysia is currently focusing on becoming a producer of single-origin and premium quality cocoa beans to meet the high demand in the market and ensure the products comply with the domestic and other international standards and regulations, including the food safety. 

He added the ministry, through the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB), will proactively explore and increase the cocoa production for export-led growth strategy. 

He said apart from doing cocoa plantation and training the local entrepreneurs to produce chocolate, the ministry will also shift its eyes on the grinding business. 

“For this, the cocoa beans are imported and outsourced into the country for grindingprocess, which then will be re-exported in the form of cocoa powder. 

“With the application of the latest method in crop planting, harvesting, post-harvesting and cocoa bean processing, and managing cocoa genetic materials, Malaysia could surely become one of the high-quality cocoa beans producers in the world. 

“The MCB is also developing a cocoa beans traceability system to further enhance product origin assurance. 

“In this regard, Malaysia has established a well-equipped analytical laboratory with ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for chemical and microbiological analysis, supported by a team of panelists for cocoa liquor and chocolate sensory evaluation. 

“Sustaining the importance of cocoa and introducing precision and smart cocoa management towards Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) is a game-changer for the development of the cocoa industry in Malaysia. 

Precise and smart cocoa farm management offers the right blueprint to increase cocoa productivity and at the same time, reduces agriculture input costs involved, as proven and tested in pilot study in Malaysia,” Willie said. 

He said the Malaysian pepper industry contributed RM2,434 million to the nation’s GDP in 2020 and continuously provides the main source of livelihoods for thousands of pepper farmers in Malaysia. 

He said nearly 98% of the nation’s pepper production is produced in the heart of Sarawak while theother 2% of the producing areas are in Sabah and Johor. 

 He said Malaysia is currently the fourth largest pepper producer among International Pepper Community (IPC) member countries. 

“About 70% of Malaysia’s pepper is exported as whole black pepper and the remaining as white pepper, green pepper in brine, value-added pepper and pepper products. 

“Among four of the most notable achievements in the R&D for pepper include the effective use of digital solutions for identifying pest, diseases and nutritional disorders of pepper plants through the use of various mobile phone applications, the introduction of reliable and cheaper alternative pepper support poles to help farmers cope with the cost of production, the application of bio-chemical fertilisers to increase the productivity of pepper vines by 15% to 20% per hectare at the farm level and the newly established pepper genetic database to reveal the metabolism process in pepper plants that contributes to diseases resistance and affects the yield performance. 

“In 2021 alone, over 21 R&D projects in bio-technology, pepper agronomy innovation and the development of value-added pepper products were initiated. 

“As such, Malaysian Pepper Board (MPB) is tasked to provide the ongoing guidance and support to its smallholders, especially on the proper fertilising techniques and GAP,” he said. 

 He urged MPB to seriously consider expanding the Malaysian pepper commodity prospect to any of the Middle East market by leveraging on the increased demand for halal-certified products and various strategic logistics of several ports in the Middle East such as Dubai, the main port in the UAE and Bandar Abbas in Iran. 

“We view that this crucial strategy will create a greater market access for our domestic halal-certified high value-added and premium pepper products produced by our own SMEs, such as the Creamy White Pepper (CWP). 

“Malaysia’s pepper is of higher quality pepper in terms of pungency, flavour and aroma comparedto other peppers from other countries,” Willie said.

From 17 recorded early this month, the number of Covid-19 cases has jumped to 84 in Sarawak today

 KUCHING, February 7, 2022 - From 17 positive Covid-19 cases beginning this month, the number has jumped to 84 as at 12 noon today, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) said in a statement released this afternoon. 

It said topping the list is Kuching district with 45 cases, followed by Sibu with 20 cases, Miri nine,Serian four, Song three, Bintulu two and Samarahan one. 

The remaining 33 districts of Sarawak recorded zero new cases. 

SDMC said 65 of the 84 cases are Category One without symptoms, 18 as Category Two with mild symptoms and one as Category Three which affects the lungs. 

However, SDMC said there were no reports of deaths due to Covid-19 infections. 

It  said there were no new or existing Covid-19 clusters that trigger the spread of the infection.