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（马六甲2日讯）甲历史城市政局市长拿督再纳阿布说，该局会跟随中央政府和国家安理会决定，严查违反冠病防疫规定的夜店，防止病毒感染群出现。

他说，夜店不似监狱，病毒只在监狱有限的范围内传播和容易控制。夜店一但爆发感染群，那是非常严重和不易受控。

“目前全国确诊病例维持在千位数，担心和考量可能会引起更多的病例，地方政府执法人员会严厉检查违规和不遵守防疫规定的夜店。”

再纳阿布日前出席市政局常月会议，及推介指定诊所系统后的记者会上，这么指出。

再纳阿布指出，市政局会与环境局和其他防疫部门单位协调配合，在人群聚集的地点和旅游景点区，根据时间表开展消毒工作。

他重申，这类工作会持续下去，也是保障地方环境和减少病毒传播的工作之一。

另外，再纳阿布说，市政局议决批准把该局属下职员，包括市议员原本每年700令吉看诊费和配眼镜费，调高至1000令吉。

他说，受惠的是1299名职员和24名市议员，他们的妻儿亦享有这项福利。

“现在一般的看诊收费约60令吉，考量看诊费增加，市政局也提升职员尤其低层人员的福利，2021年开始让他们享有一年1000令吉的看诊费。”

再纳阿布也说，欲看诊的职员可以通过手机或电脑上到指定诊所系统，在州内指定的37间诊所、9间牙医和9间眼镜店，享有全年1000令吉的看诊费、验眼费和配眼镜费用。

“通过系统可以鉴定看诊的职员是否获准请病假，同时节省市政局每年约3000令吉印刷看病单的支出。”

日本首都圈的冠病疫情处于“大暴发边缘”，东京和邻近三县要求中央再次颁发防疫紧急状态令。

东京的疫情自11月份急转直下，即使当局已发出红色疫情警报，要求饮食业者缩短营业时间，在晚上10时就打烊，但响应效果不佳。元旦前夕，东京新增冠病病例1337起，创单日新高；当天，日本全国新增病例4520起。

据日本TBS电视报道，东京确诊人数目前以平均每周5000起病例的速度激增，使当地负责分配患者入院的保健所穷于应对。收治冠病的病床使用率在元旦当天达八成，远超卫生部列下的50%指标。

东京都一官员昨日说：“如果无法拿出更好对策来缓和情况的话，东京的医疗在两周内就要崩溃了。”

面对这一危急情况，东京都知事小池百合子昨日领头，与埼玉、千叶以及神奈川三县知事一同要求中央，在首都圈重启《紧急事态宣言》。

小池指出：“我们现在可称是处于大暴发边缘。因此，我们要求中央政府尽快检讨，并发出紧急事态宣言。目前，防疫是我们最关切的领域，必须在首都圈一致抑制人流。”

日本中央在2020年4月第一波疫情期间，在《紧急事态宣言》下分阶段落实限制措施，并在5月25日全面解除。此紧急令不带处罚，但可让地方政府以“命令”管制高风险场所，例如当局曾叫停大型活动，让百货商场和饮食店等暂停营业。

日本媒体昨天报道，东京有官员透露，上次紧急状态令实施期间，东京的单日新增病例200起左右，如今日增超过千起，因此更有必要颁布紧急令。

然而，负责防疫事务的经济复兴部长西村康稔暗示，不考虑实施“过于严厉”的措施。他昨日在记者会上说：“是否要发出宣言，必须先听专家团的意见……我们会探讨进一步缩短饮食店营业时间，例如再提早两小时，要求业者在晚上8时就打烊。”

据媒体分析，对中央而言，发布紧急令是个财务负担，因为必须为地方提供支付给业者的辅助金，否则很难要求业者暂停营业。

Sat 2 Jan 2021 . Testing of 3D-printed Covid face guards and UV air treatment win Australian funding. ‘This is a rapidly scalable, customised technology that could quickly and feasibly be utilised around the world,’ Greg Hunt says

The use of personalised 3D-printed face guards to cover gaps on the sides of masks will be tested in one of six coronavirus-related clinical trials to win funding from the Australian government.

The health minister, Greg Hunt, said on Sunday the government was providing $10m from its Medical Research Future Fund towards six trials, including of two “next-generation” vaccines developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne.

The 3D printing trial, overseen by Assoc Prof Anand Ganesan of Flinders University, has secured $973,119 of the funding. It will focus on developing facial guards to better protect healthcare workers from Covid-19.

“Mask leak with existing P2/N95 respirators is a major problem for healthcare workers,” Hunt said. “The main reason for face mask leak is the individual variability in the shape of the human face.”

The minister said the trial would test the effectiveness and feasibility of using customised 3D-printed face guards in conjunction with P2/N95 respirators.

“This is a rapidly scalable, customised technology that could quickly and feasibly be utilised around the world,” he said.

Turning to other trials to win funding, Hunt said researchers would also “test the effectiveness of an inexpensive and rapidly implementable germicidal ultraviolet air-treatment strategy, used in conjunction with existing infection control measures, as a means to reduce rates of respiratory viral infection in residential aged care facilities”.

The federal government has come under pressure over inadequate measures to protect aged care residents from Covid-19 outbreaks. So far, 685 deaths have been recorded among people living in Australian government-subsidised residential aged care facilities – 655 of them in Victoria.

Hunt said volunteers aged between 18 and 75 years would be recruited by mid-2021 for an accelerated clinical trial of two new Covid-19 vaccines overseen by University of Melbourne researchers.

He said these “next-generation” vaccines offered “a number of potential advantages to ‘first-generation’ Covid-19 vaccines, and do not require storage in the extremely low temperatures needed for the Pfizer vaccine”.

NEW DELHI: The vaccine against Covid 19 will be provided free to most prioritised beneficiaries including one crore healthcare and two crore front-line workers, health minister Harsh Vardhan said as a nationwide dry-run to test preparedness for the vaccination drive took place on Saturday.
Vardhan said details are also being finalised for vaccination of 27 crore people in the 50 plus age group and those who are younger but have serious comorbidities.

Official sources said various options like offering a subsidised price and use of Ayushman Bharat insurance are being evaluated for inoculation of those above 50 years age and those with co-morbidities.

The government has already registered over 75 lakh beneficiaries on Co-WIN – the IT platform developed by the Centre to implement the mega vaccination drive. Besides, around 1,14,100 vaccinators have been trained and sufficient supplies of syringes and other logistics have also been ensured to begin the vaccination drive.
The government plans to roll out the vaccine within ten days of the final regulatory approval. While the subject expert committee (SEC) examining applications from different companies seeking emergency use authorization has recommended a grant of permission for two vaccines – Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, both jabs are waiting for a final nod from the Drugs Controller General of India.

The government plans to innoculate 30 crores ‘priority’ population by July. However, healthcare and frontline workers will be among the ‘most prioritized’ beneficiaries to receive the vaccine during the first two months of its rollout, when supplies are likely to be limited.
Ahead of the actual vaccination drive, the health ministry on Saturday conducted a nationwide mock drill at 286 session sites across 125 districts to test the end-to-end planned operations and the mechanism that has been set up to ensure smooth conduct of the Covid 19 vaccination that is expected to begin soon.
“I appeal to people not to pay heed to rumours. Ensuring the safety and efficacy of the vaccine is our priority. Different kinds of rumours were spread during polio immunisation but people took the vaccine and India is now polio-free,” Vardhan said after reviewing the dry run at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital and Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Daryaganj in Delhi.

Thai health authorities on Saturday recommended tougher restrictions on businesses and people’s movement in 28 provinces, including the capital Bangkok, as the number of new coronavirus cases rises.

The measures, which need final approval from Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, include suspending some businesses and crowded activities that pose infection risks to the public, while recommending people in these provinces work from home and avoid unnecessary travel out of their province.

Authorities in Bangkok had earlier ordered the closing down of schools for two weeks and the temporary closure of daycare centres, gyms, bars and massage shops.

Thailand on Saturday confirmed 216 new coronavirus cases and one new death.

Thailand has managed to keep infection rates relatively low since the initial outbreak of the coronavirus disease last year, keeping the number of new cases in the single-digits for months until mid-December.

Now, in a second wave, many cases are linked to a cluster among migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province south of Bangkok. Another cluster is linked to illegal gambling dens in eastern Thailand, both of which started in mid-December.

The country has recorded a total of 7,379 coronavirus cases and 64 deaths since the outbreak started last January.

“This new round of outbreak that we are closely watching is in Bangkok which started to spread to many areas and there have been deaths that are not linked to previous cases, making it more difficult to control,” Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government’s COVID-19 task force, said at a news conference.

Taweesin said with the prime minister’s approval, the new measures would start to come into effect on Monday and could be implemented until the end of January.