COVID-19 Epidemic in Malaysia:

Epidemic Progression, Challenges and Response

Jamal Hisham Hashim, Mohammad Adam Adman, Zailina Hashim, Mohd Firdaus Mohd Radi and Soo Chen Kwan.

Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Selangor, Shah Alam, Malaysia, 2
Provenue

Corporation Sdn Bhd, Subang Jaya, Malaysia, 3 Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang,

Gambang, Malaysia, 4 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health
Sciences,

Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia, 5 Cheras District Health Office, Ministry of Health, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia,

6 Kedah State Health Department, Ministry of Health, Kedah, Malaysia, 7 Center for Toxicology and Health Risk
Research

(CORE), Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest communicable disease outbreak to have hit Malaysia
since the 1918 Spanish Flu which killed 34,644 people or 1% of the population of the
then British Malaya. In 1999, the Nipah virus outbreak killed 105 Malaysians, while the

SARS outbreak of 2003 claimed only 2 lives. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has so

far claimed over 100 Malaysian lives. There were two waves of the COVID-19 cases in

Malaysia. First wave of 22 cases occurred from January 25 to February 15 with no death

and full recovery of all cases. The ongoing second wave, which commenced on February

27, presented cases in several clusters, the biggest of which was the Sri Petaling Tabligh

cluster with an infection rate of 6.5%, and making up 47% of all cases in Malaysia.

Subsequently, other clusters appeared from local mass gatherings and imported cases of

Malaysians returning from overseas. Healthcare workers carry high risks of infection due
to the daily exposure and management of COVID-19 in the hospitals. However, 70% of
them were infected through community transmission and not while handling patients. In

vulnerable groups, the incidence of COVID-19 cases was highest among the age group

55 to 64 years. In terms of fatalities, 63% were reported to be aged above 60 years, and

81% had chronic comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases. The

predominant COVID-19 strain in Malaysia is strain B, which is found exclusively in East

Asia. However, strain A, which is mostly found in the USA and Australia, and strain C in
Europe were also present. To contain the epidemic, Malaysia implemented a Movement
Control Order (MCO) beginning on March 18 in 4 phases over 2 months, ending on May
12. In terms of economic impacts, Malaysia lost RM2.4 billion a day during the MCO
period, with an accumulated loss of RM63 billion up to the end of April. Since May 4,

Malaysia has relaxed the MCO and opened up its economic sector to relieve its economic

burden. Currently, the best approach to achieving herd immunity to COVID-19 is through
vaccination rather than by acquiring it naturally. There are at least two candidate vaccines

which have reached the final stage of human clinical trials. Malaysia’s COVID-19 case

fatality rate is lower than what it is globally; this is due to the successful implementation of

early preparedness and planning, the public health and hospital system, comprehensive

contact tracing, active case detection, and a strict enhanced MCO.

Keywords: coronavirus, pandemic, movement control order, Malaysia, COVID-19.

Covid 19 Article

Background :

Negative attitudes towards vaccines and an uncertainty or unwillingness to receive vaccinations are major barriers to
managing the COVID-19 pandemic in the long-term. We estimate predictors of four domains of negative attitudes
towards vaccines and identify groups most at risk of uncertainty and unwillingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in a
large sample of UK adults.

Methods :

Data were cross-sectional and from 32,361 adults in the UCL COVID-19 Social Study. Ordinary least squares
regression analyses examined the impact of socio-demographic and COVID-19 related factors on four types of
negative vaccine attitudes: mistrust of vaccine benefit, worries about unforeseen effects, concerns about commercial
profiteering, and preference for natural immunity. Multinomial regression examined the impact of socio-
demographic and COVID-19 related factors, negative vaccine attitudes, and prior vaccine behaviour on uncertainty
and unwillingness to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Findings :

16% of respondents displayed high levels of mistrust about vaccines across one or more domains. Distrustful
attitudes towards vaccination were higher amongst individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds, with lower levels
of education, lower annual income, poor knowledge of COVID-19, and poor compliance with government COVID-19
guidelines. Overall, 14% of respondents reported unwillingness to receive a vaccine for COVID-19, whilst 23% were
unsure. The largest predictors of both COVID-19 vaccine uncertainty and refusal were low-income groups (< £16,000,
a year), having not received a flu vaccine last year, poor adherence to COVID-19 government guidelines, female
gender, and living with children. Amongst vaccine attitudes, intermediate to high levels of mistrust of vaccine benefit
and concerns about future unforeseen side effects were the most important determinants of both uncertainty and
unwillingness to vaccinate against COVID-19.

Interpretation :

Negative attitudes towards vaccines are a major public health concern in the UK. General mistrust in vaccines and
concerns about future side effects in particular will be barriers to achieving population immunity to COVID-19
through vaccination. Public health messaging should be tailored to address these concerns and specifically to
women, ethnic minorities, and people with lower levels of education and incomes.

Funding :

The Nuffield Foundation [WEL/FR-000022583], the MARCH Mental Health Network funded by the Cross-Disciplinary
Mental Health Network Plus initiative supported by UK Research and Innovation.
“Demon Slayer — Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: Mugen Train,” released Friday, is more than just an anime film
about members of the Demon Slayer Corps trying to protect the passengers of a train from being eaten by a demon.
It’s the movie that saved the Japanese box office during the pandemic.

The “Demon Slayer” movie’s record-breaking run started when it opened in October. It took just 10 days for it to
gross over $100 million in Japan and became the fastest film to ever hit that milestone. It has since become the
highest-grossing anime and highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. “Mugen Train” closed out 2020 with the year’s
fourth highest worldwide box office gross, edging out Christopher Nolan’s much-hyped “Tenet,” which came in fifth.

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These feats are impressive for any movie, but “Mugen Train” is not even a traditional standalone feature. The
“Demon Slayer” movie is the immediate continuation of the “Demon Slayer” TV series’ 26-episode first season.
Unlike other anime films with TV counterparts, “Mugen Train” is not a spinoff or a side story with its own canon
designed to be more accessible for an audience that may be unfamiliar with the series.

"Demon" slays: The anime "Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train" has become the highest-
grossing Japanese film ever.

MOVIES

Review: Anime megahit ‘Demon Slayer’ is here to thrill and confuse

April 21, 2021

What is “Demon Slayer”?

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” is originally a manga series by Koyoharu Gotouge. Set in Taisho era Japan (1912-
1926), the series follows teenager Tanjiro Kamado, the kindhearted oldest son of a family that makes and sells
charcoal. One day he comes home to discover his family has been slaughtered by an oni, or demon, who subsists on
a diet of humans. The only survivor is his younger sister Nezuko, who has been turned into a demon but eventually
becomes protective of her brother.

After an encounter with Giyu Tomioka, a high-ranking member of a secret organization of warriors tasked with
defeating demons known as the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro is sent to train to become a demon slayer. This sets up
Tanjiro’s quest to avenge his family and find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human.
Legends of Tomorrow: Who is Gideon?

Awesome Animation

The animation quality is of the highest standard in both Demon Slayer and Mugen Train. Even those who are not
particularly interested in the plot will find themselves captivated by the stunning visuals. Even smaller details like the
artistically styled water that flows from Tanjiro’s sword whenever he completes an attack, are just breathtaking to
see play out.

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Demon Slayer does not blow its entire budget on animating great fight scenes, however. The slower-paced moments
are animated beautifully and the varied facial expressions lent to each character make for some hilarious
interactions. Zenitsu (one of Tanjiro’s friends) in particular has an expressive face (not to mention the stellar voice
acting quality of both him and his ensemble cast) which makes each episode’s action lulls a delight.

The Excellent Source Material

A lot of anime are not created from the ground up. While several original shows are produced and sent straight to TV
screens, a lot of anime emerge from their respective manga sources. Demon Slayer is no exception here, as the
manga continues to release issues periodically, with a story that has long since moved past the events in Mugen
Train.

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