Day: December 6, 2021

KUALA LUMPUR— Malaysia achieved a significant milestone in COVID-19 vaccination on Monday when 90 per cent of the adolescent population have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.

“For seniors, get your booster as soon as it’s available,” he said in a Twitter post.

A total of 2,830,449 individuals or 90 per cent of adolescents aged between 12 and 17 have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of 11.59 pm Sunday.

Based on the Health Ministry’s data on the COVIDNOW portal, 2,721,784 individuals or 86.5 per cent of the adolescent population have completed their COVID-19 vaccination.

As for the adult population, a total of 22,722,055 individuals or 97.1 per cent have completed their vaccination, while 23,049,440 individuals or 98.5 per cent have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

A total of 54,517 doses of the vaccine were dispensed on Sunday, involving 1,713 as the first dose, 2,605 as the second dose and 50,199 as the booster dose.

This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 54,091,375.

Meanwhile, in another tweet, Khairy said the infectivity rate (Rt) in Malaysia was increasing and reminded the public to ensure compliance with COVID-19 prevention standard operating procedures and always practise TRISS, namely Test, Report, Inform, Isolate and Seek.

“Rt is nearing 1.0 again. Two weeks ago when it exceeded 1, all of us played our role to bring down the Rt. Believe that we can. Face masks, physical distancing, avoid congested places, booster shots, protect your parents and #TRIIS,” he said.

 

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

The Financial Stability Coordination Council (FSCC) crafted its 2022 work program designed to further the country’s growth and make the financial system even more resilient, after reviewing the emerging global risks and assessing the local market impact.

Recent reports from multilateral agencies and standard-setting bodies have concluded that financial markets throughout the world have avoided the market collapse that was feared early into the pandemic.

While COVID-19 has had significant damage in lives and livelihood, the same reports point to positive developments over the past two years. In particular, the non-bank financial sector has seen a global boon, together with the increased use of digital facilities in finance.

The FSCC noted that the same positive developments have been evident in the Philippines.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, chairperson of the FSCC, observed that issuance of private securities increased significantly since 2020 “as market players responded to the strategic intervention of the authorities to free up liquidity and reduce the cost of financing.”

The FSCC also analyzed the impact of accommodative financial conditions that staved off a market collapse.

“We all can read of references to divergence, spillovers, and vulnerabilities. What these simply mean is that the authorities need to recognize how different stakeholders are situated differently, now and into the future, and would thus require differentiated interventions,” Governor Diokno said.

Based on the FSCC work program, the framework for managing crises of systemic risk proportions as well as on pre-emptive macroprudential stress tests will be announced soon.

“From the perspective of the FSCC, we regularly assess the risks in the global markets but we are grounded by the risks that may materialize domestically. This is the nature of systemic risks, thinking globally but always acting locally,” Governor Diokno added.

This year-end meeting of the FSCC also specifically focused on initiatives that will further strengthen the non-bank financial sector.

The FSCC is composed of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Department of Finance, the Insurance Commission, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Recently, President Duterte signed Executive Order no. 144 institutionalizing the FSCC.

 

 

 

Source: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)

The following foreign Heads of Mission presented their credentials to President Halimah Yacob in separate ceremonies at the Istana today:

 

(a)     The Ambassador of Mongolia

His Excellency Enkhbayar Sosorbaram

 

(b)     The Ambassador of the United States of America

His Excellency Jonathan Eric Kaplan

 

Their bio summaries are attached.

 

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Singapore

Two men, aged 23 and 24, were charged in court on 6 December 2021 with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, in relation to their applications for assistance under the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (“SIRS”). The SIRS was launched in March 2020 by the Ministry of Manpower (“MOM”) to tide self-employed Singaporeans with less means and family support over the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) helps MOM to administer the SIRS applications and appeals and helps identify potential fraudulent cases to be surfaced for further investigations while processing applications. Applications for the scheme have been closed since end 2020.

The two men were alleged to have cheated NTUC in July 2020 into disbursing $3,000 and $6,000 to them respectively through the submission of applications containing falsehoods to NTUC.

The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 carries a fine and an imprisonment term that may extend to 10 years.

The Police take a serious stance against dishonest or fraudulent applications for Government grants. Offenders will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

 

Source: Singapore Police Force