Morning Brief

We discuss with Kuching MP Dr. Kelvin Yii on how we can better support mental health for Malaysians with the Government's launch of the National Strategic Plan for Mental Health 2020 - 2025, as we celebrate World Mental Health day. 

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Last week, Health Minister Khairy Jamaludin said that the government would procure 150,000 treatment packages of a Covid-19 anti-viral drug produced by Merck called Molnupiravir. The drug is being described by many quarters as a gamechanger in the fight against Covid-19. Based on trials conducted so far, the medication was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by around 50% in patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of the virus. We get the lowdown on Molnupiravir from Sam Fazeli, Director of Research at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Image credit: Quality Stock Arts / Shutterstock.com

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Last week, Health Minister Khairy Jamaludin said that the government would procure 150,000 treatment packages of a Covid-19 anti-viral drug produced by Merck called Molnupiravir. The drug is being described by many quarters as a gamechanger in the fight against Covid-19. Based on trials conducted so far, the medication was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by around 50% in patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of the virus. We get the lowdown on Molnupiravir from Sam Fazeli, Director of Research at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Image credit: Quality Stock Arts / Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Health Minister Khairy Jamaludin said that the government would procure 150,000 treatment packages of a Covid-19 anti-viral drug produced by Merck called Molnupiravir. The drug is being described by many quarters as a gamechanger in the fight against Covid-19. Based on trials conducted so far, the medication was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by around 50% in patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of the virus. We get the lowdown on Molnupiravir from Sam Fazeli, Director of Research at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Image credit: Quality Stock Arts / Shutterstock.com

US-China relations appear to remain cool under the Biden administration while Taiwan’s fate is the biggest uncertainty in the region, says Dr. Pradeep Taneja, Senior Lecturer In Asian Studies from the University of Melbourne.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has inarguably set back efforts to eliminate poverty among Malaysian society. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the pandemic raised the incidence of absolute poverty to 8.4% in 2020, compared to 5.6% in 2019. The government has reiterated its commitment to tackle poverty and income inequality under the 12th Malaysia Plan, with the aim of eradicating hardcore poverty by 2025. But does the 12MP provide a sufficiently clear roadmap towards that aim? We discuss this with World Bank economist Ririn Salwa Purnamasari.

Image Credit: Lens Hitam / Shutterstock.com

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Dr Helmy Haja Mydin, Consultant Respiratory Physician, talks about Malaysia’s readiness for interstate travel and indeed, whether international borders can reopen.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has inarguably set back efforts to eliminate poverty among Malaysian society. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the pandemic raised the incidence of absolute poverty to 8.4% in 2020, compared to 5.6% in 2019. The government has reiterated its commitment to tackle poverty and income inequality under the 12th Malaysia Plan, with the aim of eradicating hardcore poverty by 2025. But does the 12MP provide a sufficiently clear roadmap towards that aim? We discuss this with World Bank economist Ririn Salwa Purnamasari.

Image Credit: Lens Hitam / Shutterstock.com

US-China relations appear to remain cool under the Biden administration while Taiwan’s fate is the biggest uncertainty in the region, says Dr. Pradeep Taneja, Senior Lecturer In Asian Studies from the University of Melbourne.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Malaysia’s small businesses have withered in the face of the full fury of the pandemic, prompting the question of what more can be done to save them, with Budget ‘22 looming.

Image credit: Carlos Huang / Shutterstock.com

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