India – According to reports, an expert committee of India’s pharma authority approved emergency use authorization (EUA) for Merck’s Covid-19 pill molnupiravir, as well as the Covovax and corbevax vaccines from Serum Institute of India and Biological E, among other products. According to a report published today, the recommendations of the topic expert group have been sent to the Drugs …

Malaysia – Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today that cabinet members ordered to come home from abroad would be subject to the regular quarantine restrictions, with no special exceptions. This was in answer to a question about whether foreign ministers would be granted special exemptions from current quarantine restrictions. “At this time, even though they have returned home, they must …

Thailand – As a result of growing worries about the spread of Omicron, Thailand is contemplating reinstituting strict quarantine for foreign visitors. The nation’s health ministry stated on Monday that the country has had its first incidence of local transmission of the coronavirus variant. According to Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, the public health ministry would propose eliminating a quarantine waiver for …

Malaysia – Dewan Rakyat yesterday enacted the Temporary Measures for Reducing the Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2021, which aims to provide people and businesses impacted by the pandemic more room and opportunity to recover. Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Mutalib stated that the ministry (KPKT) was in discussions with the Ministry …

Malaysia – To enable the Dewan Rakyat to discuss and vote on proposed amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act (Act 342), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has consented to prolong the current Dewan Rakyat meeting. He has also agreed to postpone Monday’s amended Bill proceedings. The extension was made by Speaker Tan Sri Azhar …

Malaysia – The government must explain why it breached Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) during its 100-day Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia event, according to DAP’s Lim Kit Siang, who cited the Malaysian Medical Association’s outrage over the issue. According to the Iskandar Puteri MP, MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai was justified in raising concerns about the government’s motivation for holding …

Malaysia – After the country’s first occurrence of the new Covid-19 Omicron variant, individuals in two states have been advised to be alert and adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs) in order to prevent infection. Penang’s state government is urging 503,000 frontline workers, older residents, and persons with comorbidities to get booster injections promptly at the state’s Vaccination Centres (PPV). …

ASEAN – Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Friday that Asia-Pacific nations should increase their healthcare capacity and completely vaccinate their citizens in order to prepare for a spike in Covid-19 infections caused by the Omicron variant, which has been identified in the region. Scientists are still collecting data to determine how infectious Omicron is, as well …

Laos – Laos is scheduled to launch a US$6 billion (RM25.4 billion) railway constructed by the Chinese on Friday, despite worries over the country’s debt and expectations that it would help to restore the country’s faltering economy. The construction of the 414-kilometer (260-mile) route, which is part of China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, took five years. The potential economic …

Singapore – Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, praised his first official visit to Singapore as a success. He expressed gratitude to the Singapore government, particularly his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, for the warm greeting he received, which he described as “family-like.” “Ties between the two nations are quite strong, since we are neighbors with a long history,” …