Malaysia's current medicine shortage isn't like previous "minor" perennial drug shortages, when certain meds tend to run out towards end of the year because of low funding.

This time, the med shortage may be far more critical & extensive because of global supply disruptions. 🧵 Malaysia is a net pharmaceutical importer.

This makes us extremely vulnerable to global supply disruptions caused by Covid pandemic, worsened by China lockdowns in 2022, and the Russia-Ukraine war that disrupted global supply chains across goods (not just pharmaceuticals).

I'm quite disgusted with the MySejahtera affair and attempted shortcuts to profit from a Covid app.

38 mil users were FORCED to download MySejahtera.

I get it, business is business and the govt monumentally screwed up by not creating a contract -- but this is all so unethical.

https://twitter.com/codebluenews/status/1510769281465790471

This isn't like Grab when we voluntarily downloaded the app, even though Grab is now a 🇸🇬 company.

Or like Facebook, which we still use despite multiple data privacy scandals.

Taking advantage of a huge database created from a govt mandate for a pandemic is simply perverse.

Agreements disclosed in a second lawsuit involving MySJ Sdn Bhd -- board power struggle -- show that MySJ owns the MySejahtera app, IP rights, and platform, while Entomo owns software used to develop the app.

MySJ targets future listing as tech company.

codeblue.galencentre.org/2022/04/04/mor… Aug 2021 share sale agreement states MySJ is negotiating to acquire a health care management services company and a digital health care platform services company.

Mudah Healthcare & AmanInsure named in meeting minutes.

Both located in same address next to Entomo/MySJ's office.

How @codebluenews broke the MySejahtera controversy: 🧵

PAC tabled its 2nd Covid vaccine procurement report on March 24. My colleague @alifahzndn spotted it in the Order Paper.

(CodeBlue checks Parliament order papers and replies to spot any bills/ answers related to health). At that time, PAC chair @wongkahwoh didn't issue a statement about the release of PAC's Covid vaccine procurement report (should be done for reports in future).

Link to the report here:
parlimen.gov.my/pac/review/doc…

On PAC's site, it's under Laporan => Tindakan Susulan Kementerian.

This Pharmaniaga statement -- which MOH's ICR denounced as having "misrepresented" facts and evidence -- failed to mention that the Yale study did NOT compare Sinovac vs Pfizer boosters and that two Sinovac doses showed no "detectable" neutralizing antibodies against Omicron. A Pfizer booster did elicit "detectable" neutralization against Omicron for double-vax Sinovac recipients, but only increased protection to similar levels as 2 Pfizer jabs.

In other words, 2 Sinovac + 1 Pfizer = 2 Pfizer.

NOT that a Sinovac booster is better than Pfizer booster

This is the proper context for the Yale-Dominican Republic study that looked at effectiveness of Pfizer booster for Sinovac recipients.

Two Sinovac doses showed NO protection against Omicron, and a Pfizer booster only increased protection to the same level as two Pfizer jabs.

https://twitter.com/codebluenews/status/1491668266460549120

It is extremely deceptive to give the impression that a Pfizer booster for Sinovac recipients is less effective against Omicron and to put up another completely unrelated study to imply that a Sinovac booster is better than a Pfizer booster for Sinovac recipients.

Langkawi project shows:
- 5 Covid cases in 2,546 fully vaccinated people

Breakthrough rate: 0.2%

All 5 asymptomatic. Shows 💉highly effective against infection and severe disease.

This begs the question as to why JKJAV approved booster jabs, if 2 doses are protective enough. KJ's ever helpful comms team told the media they'd get details on type of vaccines taken by the breakthrough cases and the overall Langkawi sample of 2,546 ppl who got tested.

Hard to compare Malaysia's breakthrough to other countries like US / Israel that mainly use mRNA 💉.

Downing Street press conferences are pretty cool. UK PM takes some online questions from ordinary people before taking questions from the press.

He also calls every journalist by name. And the British media don't hold back -- they ask really tough qs.

In Malaysia, most politicians, whether from govt or Opposition, don't bother knowing the names of journalists.

Knowing the name of the journalist asking you questions is a sign of respect for the media, rather than just treating the press with disdain like pests.

COVIDNOW (covidnow.moh.gov.my) developed by @MYVaccineCount really is the prettiest govt website I've ever seen, like the Apple of phones.

My review (plus suggestions) in this thread:

1) Homepage: Main section with daily new cases and deaths should provide state breakdown Easier to see in a glance rather than clicking on each state individually to see daily new cases/ deaths.

Cases/ deaths etc per 100k is useful.

Daily cases/ deaths/ tests should allow searches by epid week (Sun-Sat) to track weekly changes (along with weekly total/ daily avg).

CodeBlue analysis by @kani_batumalai on rising Covid deaths in Selangor finds three main problematic districts -- Klang, Hulu Langat, and Kuala Langat -- with surging fatalities in past fortnight and deaths per capita exceeding statewide average.

codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/09/09/why… Public health experts previously told CodeBlue that they expected Covid-19 deaths to ⬇️ two weeks after 33% total pop fully vaccinated.

Klang Valley hit 33% on Aug 5, but deaths in Selangor ⬆️ after Aug 19.

Despite purported backlog data probs, certain districts are hit worse.

My analysis on the epidemic:

1) Labuan is pretty much the only safe place — ⬇️ cases, zero deaths >2 weeks, lowest case incidence & death rates.

2) Penang, Kedah, Johor, Perak, Sabah, and Kelantan paid the price from Klang Valley’s Ops Surge Capacity.

codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/08/27/lab… 3) While Klang Valley's Covid cases and deaths are ⬇️ (decline is more stark in KL than Selangor), Selangor reported second highest case incidence in the past week after Penang.

KL and Selangor reported top two death rates on per capita basis in the past week.

New Health and MOSTI ministers need to focus on controlling Covid. The virus won't disappear in Oct even with high vaccination rates if our public health measures (testing, contact tracing, isolation) aren't boosted at the same time.

Plus, our vaccine supply isn't guaranteed. The govt can't take Delta lightly, which some scientists have described as being almost an entirely new virus. So, this is essentially a Covid cabinet until GE15 is held second half in 2022.

The economy can't reopen safely without controlling our epidemic from overwhelming hosp.

Each infected PPV worker only interacted with <2 ppl throughout their working hours?

This is a workplace issue. The employer (PPV mgmt) should inform staff/ volunteers about Covid-19 cases in the workplace, especially when there's lots of movements and people entering/ exiting.

https://twitter.com/codebluenews/status/1417078480529891329

The issue abt SOP at SCCC PPV also isn't so much about the physical distancing/ mask SOP, but SOP related to detection of Covid cases in the PPV -- ie: duties of management/ worker, what to do if you're a primary/ secondary/ tertiary close contact etc -- which was not addressed.

You can cite CodeBlue @NewsBFM.

CodeBlue broke the story about EU Digital Covid Cert not recognizing the Asian-made AZ jabs Malaysia uses.

Link to remarks by European Medicines Agency and by European Commission to me below, plus KJ’s remarks to press:

https://twitter.com/boosulyn/status/1410919520571588609?s=21

https://twitter.com/newsbfm/status/1411323919500398595

Also if you just want to take CodeBlue stories without crediting us, @NewsBFM, at least get your facts right.

The European Medicines Agency did NOT approve AZ vaccines made in US and China — the manufacturing sites there are only listed as producing bio active substance.

I never intended to guilt-trip doctors with my op-ed explaining why I don't support #HartalDoktorKontrak.

It's between you and your patient if you want to skip work on July 26.

I maintain that doctors aren't special. Different professions have their own roles in a pandemic.

https://twitter.com/baim92/status/1411269761258835974

If doctors believe that going on a strike during a worsening epidemic when Malaysia is turning into Italy circa-2020 is the right thing to do -- that the ends justify the means -- then go ahead.

I don't support it. But you don't need my support. Just do what you think is right.

EU ‘Vaccine Passport’ Doesn’t Recognise AstraZeneca Vaccines Given To Malaysia

The European Medicines Agency’s approval for AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine does not cover AstraZeneca doses made by South Korea, Thailand, or Japan that supply Malaysia.

codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/07/02/eu-… Apologies, guys. CodeBlue's site is currently down; we're working on getting it back up. Here are screenshots of our article titled "EU 'Vaccine Passport' Doesn't Recognise AstraZeneca Vaccines Given To Malaysia".

Why is Selangor punished for actively testing to find the true extent of their outbreak? EMCO is not gonna cut infection.

Good luck mass testing Selangor's 6.5 mil population during EMCO. Only 132k people were tested in Selangor June 13-19. That week <600k ppl tested nationwide.

https://twitter.com/codebluenews/status/1410564198862508039

More importantly, I fear that EMCO will disrupt the vaccination program. It's not just about ppl being allowed to get to appointments, it's the mobilisation of the entire campaign -- from vaccine distribution to volunteers at PPVs, to transporting vaccine recipients to PPVs.

Malaysia may face a fifth wave, while Sg is preparing to return to the new normal with Covid as an endemic disease.

If the govt must make tough decisions, then do it. No other options. It was failure after failure on the govt’s part since last year that brought us to this point. Until now, no official acknowledgement of the fourth wave. No official communication on airborne transmission of the virus. No change of public health measures. Still wasting presumably millions of taxpayers money on useless public sanitization exercises.

Nearly 14% Of Covid-19 Fatalities This Year Were Healthy

This year saw a gradual increase of Covid-19 fatalities without comorbidities in Malaysia, reaching about 16% in June up to June 19.

codeblue.galencentre.org/2021/06/24/nea… 527 people without comorbidities died from Covid-19 in Malaysia this year up to June 19, or about 14% of 3,877 total fatalities.

May and the first 19 days of June saw a steep increase in Covid deaths at 1,290 and 1,552 fatalities respectively, along with non-comorbid deaths.

Two-week “total / brutal/ home arrest / whatever” lockdown will not work in Malaysia, not when we have >5,000 daily average (reported) cases.

The virus will continue to circulate and when lockdown is lifted, cases will go back up.

Lockdown is not a magic wand.

https://twitter.com/wongchenpkr/status/1407526277150564353

The main purpose of a lockdown is to maintain health care capacity — ie, ⬆️ testing, which means cases will ⬆️, but that’s ok since cases will be found and diagnosed quickly to prevent them from deteriorating and filling up ICUs or dying.

Malaysia is long beyond containment.

Only 41% of Malaysians trust the news they read, according to Reuters Institute's 2021 Digital News Report.

Kini, Awani, Star top online reach.

Most trusted news brands of brands included in the survey: Awani, Star, TV9.

Only 16% pay for online news.

reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-r… The tiny 16% of Malaysians who pay for online news is quite depressing.

I’ve been toying with the idea of a pay wall for CodeBlue, especially since we frequently produce analyses that’s not found in mainstream media.

But this may cut the readership for our niche publication.