The Johor Special Covid-19 Task Force has held its first meeting here to improve management of the pandemic in the state.
Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim said the task force would monitor and improve the system used to screen, isolate, monitor and treat Covid-19 patients.
"This is to ensure that the pandemic is always under control.
"Contact tracing needs to be accelerated so that it is done within 24 to 48 hours, and vaccination rates must also be increased," he said in a statement posted on Facebook here on Friday (Sept 17).
The state Health Department has dismissed a viral social media post claiming that many patients at Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) had died following a blackout at the hospital.
Johor Health director Datuk Dr Aman Rabu said a blackout did occur at the main building of HSI at 11.10pm on Tuesday night, but essential electrical supply still functioned.
"Essential electrical supply continued to be fully functional through the supply from the generator. Initial inspection by the concession company found that the air circuit breaker had tripped. This caused the blackout and repair works were carried out.
"Electricity supply to all parts of the hospital was fully restored at 9.30am this morning," he said in a statement.
THE Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas) at EduCity Iskandar is helping to vaccinate up to 1,000 individuals from the manufacturing sector in Johor.
EduCity managing director Wan Ahmad Saifuddin Wan Ahmad Radzi said the vaccination centre was set up at the EduCity Sports Complex on Aug 2.
“It serves companies registered under International Trade and Industry Ministry in the Iskandar Puteri, Gelang Patah, Pekan Nanas, Senai, Kulai and Skudai areas.
A total of 779 teachers in Johor have declined to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
According to State Education, Information, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman Mazlan Bujang, the teachers will be called in to inform them on the benefits of taking the vaccine.
"We will call these teachers individually so that we can give them clarification and counselling about the importance of being vaccinated, considering that schools will reopen in October," he said in the state assembly sitting today.
In an immediate reaction on Twitter, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim said he will meet with the state Education director and the teachers to help resolve the issue.
The police are investigating a viral video of two men wearing pink wristbands buying food from a restaurant here.
In the video, the two men, who are believed to be defying quarantine orders, are seen buying food from the restaurant in Taman Sierra Perdana, Masai.
Seri Alam OCPD Supt Sohaimi Ishak said the one-minute, 32-second video came to the attention of the police on Friday (Aug 20).
PERTUBUHAN Kebajikan Shafar Johor Baru (PKSJB) has set up a baby food bank specially to cater to the needs of toddlers aged five years and below.
Its chairman Fauziah Shaikh Omar said it started after considering that there were no food banks in Johor Baru that offered baby-related items.
While there are many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) offering essential items to the needy during the Covid-19 pandemic, the items did not include essentials for toddlers, she said.
The Johor Baru campus of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) will be used as a vaccination centre from July 19 till Oct 31.
Located at the Dewan Perpustakaan Raja Zarith Sofiah, the centre will be under the integrated higher education institute category in the south.
The centre's management working committee chairman Abdul Razib Shahuddin, who is the UTM registrar, said the university always supported the government's efforts by playing its role in flattening the Covid-19 curve.
THE Johor Food Bank initiative is expected to begin this month.
State women, family and community development committee chairman Zaiton Ismail said the state was still in the process of making the necessary arrangements for the programme.
“We expect to start as soon as suitable locations for the food bank have been finalised,” she said when asked on the progress of the initiative that was announced by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad as part of the Ihsan Johor 3.0 economic stimulus package.
Zaiton said this when she presented over 25 wheelchairs from the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) to five district health departments at Hospital Permai in Johor Baru.
Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has received 20,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine.
Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim said this in a post on his Facebook page Tuesday (July 6).
“We are working on getting more Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech doses in the near future. We hope the government and minister can help us and distribute more vaccine doses to the people. It's time for action. Serve the people, ” he said.
"I'm unsure if my action of waving a white flag is right or wrong...I only do it for the sake of my children and pregnant wife because we have run out of food supply."
This was shared by self-employed Zulkiflie Samsudin, 39, from Taman Pulai Indah, Kangkar Pulai, who had lost half his income during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Zulkiflie works as a welder to care for his six-months pregnant wife Nur Aqeela Atika Mohd Dali, 29, daughter Putri Nur Zahirah, 9, who has vision problem, and 12-month-old son Muhammad Putra Riqzi Zilhelmi.
He said he could neither buy milk nor disposable diapers for his young son and he could not pay for his house rent or his car loan.
Around 500,000 hawkers and petty traders registered with local authorities nationwide will receive their Covid-19 vaccine jabs under the Community Vaccine Mobilisation (Movak) programme starting July 6.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said the initiative was implemented after considering the suitability of the groups for vaccination priority as they always deal with the public through business activities.
“I discussed the matter with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) yesterday and informed them that the logistics prepared by Movak is complete. So, we agreed to hold a vaccination programme for traders and hawkers under the local authorities.
The Johor royal family continues to push for all Johoreans to be vaccinated.
The latest to make the call was Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, who visited the Mega Vaccination Centre (PPV) at Persada Johor Convention Centre on Thursday (June 24), to observe the operation of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
He said that some 3,000 people have been receiving Covid-19 vaccine at the Mega PPV here every day since it started operating on June 7.
"I am aware of the rakyat's concern about access to vaccines and I am confident in the efforts of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme in ensuring an adequate supply of vaccines for all Bangsa Johor.
Johor