According to a recently released Washington-based National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (Nasem) report, Long Covid is an infection-associated chronic condition that occurs after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. ALSO READ: Defining Long Covid could ease insurance process“While several working definitions exist, no common definition for Long Covid has been agreed upon. Long Covid manifests in multiple ways, Nasem said, adding that any organ in the system could be involved. Based on the report, Long Covid can follow an asymptomatic, mild or severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and previous infections that may have been recognised or unrecognised. “Long Covid can impair individuals’ ability to work, attend school, take care of family, and care for themselves.

He said it could also ease the insurance claims process if Long Covid is covered by policies as well as for the issuance of medical certificates to justify why a patient is unable to work. Assoc Prof Tan, who has handled Covid-19 cases, said Long Covid symptoms are similar to post-sepsis syndrome. He said diseases with similar symptoms to Long Covid such as malaria, dengue and influenza could be placed under a single umbrella to make clinical management decisions and insurance claims easier. “This provides some clarity and uniformity in Long Covid diagnosis,” he said. He said a total of 22 deaths were reported among Long Covid patients, referred to the Sungai Buloh Hospital Covid-19 rehabilitation outpatient specialised services, between November 2020 and September 2022.

The minister said on Facebook on Thursday (Aug 8) that the US electric car maker had also never announced building a factory in Malaysia. “Miti has never announced that Tesla would develop a factory in Malaysia. While we have had discussions with Elon Musk to attract investment, Tesla has never committed to opening a factory here,” he said. He said the government introduced the Global Electric Vehicle Battery Leader Initiative, which is open to any EV manufacturers including Tesla. “The aim of this initiative is to enhance the charging network for local EV owners and to increase the involvement of local companies in the EV charging ecosystem.

Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan (Photo: nst.com.my)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - The Malaysian economy is on the right track and will continue to grow, despite facing the risk of a recession in the US, Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said on August 6. That is why the ringgit has strengthened, not only because the US wants to cut interest rates but also because of the good policies developed by the government. On the same day, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged all civil servants to provide far better service to the people in line with the salary adjustment to be announced by the government. Emphasising this point at the launch of the Malaysia MADANI Civil Servants’ Housing programme in Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Anwar said the method and details of the salary adjustment will be announced, with some details to be revealed this month. The mechanism for adjusting civil servants’ salaries will be announced by Anwar on August 16./.

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Deepak Pillai, a data protection practitioner with the firm Christopher and Lee Ong, stated that while the recently improved Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) could encourage better compliance among data users and controllers, its effectiveness remains to be seen. Deepak stressed the need for the establishment of a Personal Data Protection Commission, as it would function more effectively with greater independence and accountability. “That is why we only have a Personal Data Protection Department at the moment. He praised the new requirement for data controllers to be responsible for sensitive personal data and to report breaches promptly. The Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed by the Dewan Rakyat on July 16 and by the Dewan Negara on July 31.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has emerged as one of the top 10 crypto-friendly destinations for digital nomads and companies, said Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo. Gobind said Malaysia must continue embracing emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) to create new value propositions. "Experts predict that blockchain technology will be a significant driver of economic growth for Malaysia. Gobind also noted that the Securities Commission of Malaysia has introduced guidelines to regulate digital asset exchanges under the Recognised Market Operator (RMO) framework. The guidelines ensure that Malaysians can access and trade tokens created by blockchain technology legally in a safe and compliant environment.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia bounced back from yesterday’s losses to end higher today in sync with the upbeat performance in the regional markets. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 13.63 points or 0.85 per cent to 1,625.57 from yesterday's close of 1,611.94. Turnover increased to 4.42 billion units worth RM3.62 billion from yesterday's 4.19 billion units worth RM3.11 billion. The Main Market volume expanded to 2.62 billion units valued at RM3.24 billion from 2.47 billion units valued at RM2.77 billion on Tuesday. Warrants turnover advanced to 1.16 billion units worth RM155.05 million from 1.03 billion units worth RM117.90 million yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia continues with its operations amid system disruptions, advising guests to expect delays for departures due to manual processing. There are no flight cancellations as of 7.30pm tonight, it said. In a statement today, the low-cost airline also said it is working with all stakeholders to manage the situation to keep the safety, security and comfort of all its guests. ALSO READ: Global IT outage disrupts AirAsia’s check-in systems, causing delaysGuests are advised to monitor the status of their flights by checking their registered email and mobile phones for flight updates, or visit http://airasia.com/flightstatus. "As the self check-in feature is unavailable at this time, guests who are travelling today are highly encouraged to arrive at the airport early for manual check-in and to clear all travelling formalities,” it said.

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit ended marginally lower against the US dollar due to mild profit-taking after the local currency breached a fresh six-month high earlier today. At 6 pm, the ringgit eased to 4.6680/4710 versus the greenback from yesterday’s closing of 4.6625/6660. "It is normal for the currency to stay at the prevailing level after rising significantly against the US dollar,” he told Bernama. Prior to today, the ringgit had hit a new six-month high every day since Friday last week. Mohd Afzanizam said that recent reports by foreign institutions have further lent support for the positive ringgit trajectory.

In its 23rd edition, MIFB 2024 will once again feature diverse exhibitor participation and global attendance. “With key segments in food tech and services, logistics, private labelling, packaging, and processing, you can explore the latest in food tech innovations, solutions and services in one place. MIFB continues on its sustainability journey by partnering once again with KLCC to support waste initiatives such as zero food waste and event waste management. New processes will be implemented for participants and attendees, to address the effective recycling of both food waste and booth material waste. Organised by Constellar, MIFB 2024 is endorsed by the Malaysia External TradeDevelopment Corporation (Matrade).

Malaysian Investment, Trade and Industry Minister. (Photo: api.nst.com.my)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - The Malaysian Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) supports the implementation of the Green Investment Strategy to attract green investment to the country and catalyse sustainable socio-economic development, Minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz said on July 17. The implementation of the strategy will result to a more effective, orderly and systematic transition in Malaysia. Among the main targets are to attract almost eight times the amount of investment to Malaysia to achieve the objectives outlined in NIMP 2030 and NETR, ensure investment in seven low-carbon primary core, take advantage of foreign direct investment in green technology sector and improving the green investment ecosystem, he added. He said the objectives would be able to stimulate socio-economic growth in green industry, as well as creating new jobs and development skills in the green industry./.

KOTA KINABALU: Climbers should not feel that they did not get their money’s worth if they fail to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu due to bad weather. “You paid for the view, the adventure and the climb and you were accompanied by trained mountain guides. “Climbers also evaded disaster or accidents when they were told that the summit was closed due to bad weather,” he added. An update on the cancellation was posted at the Mount Kinabalu Facebook page, resulting in a string of mixed reactions. Those who want to get real-time updates and Mount Kinabalu climb permit bookings, can log on to http://www.MountKinabalu.com among many other platforms.

KUALA LUMPUR: As of July 14 this year, 88,183 companies involving 249,091 public and commercial vehicles were approved to receive diesel subsidies under the Subsidised Diesel Control System 2.0, the Dewan Rakyat was told. The ministry was responding to Datuk Siti Amina Aching (PN-Beaufort), who asked about the latest number of companies and vehicles registered under Subsidised Diesel Control System 2.0. “Through this programme, the government bears the cost of diesel subsidy, which is given to qualified vehicles, and the government expects savings of up to RM4bil a year,” said the ministry. Subsidies are continued for traders using diesel-powered commercial vehicles and for public transportation. Eligible transport companies can apply for the targeted subsidies through http://mysubsidi.kpdn.gov.my.

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 39,019 Malaysians aged 18 and above were automatically registered as new voters in the Supplementary Electoral Roll for May 2024. Election Commission (EC) secretary Datuk Ikmalrudin Ishak said the electoral roll also contained 6,547 registered voters who had changed constituencies and 1,710 voters who had changed their status or category of voter. He said the electoral roll was gazetted yesterday and is now open for review for 30 days until Aug 13. Ikmalrudin also called on Malaysian citizens aged 18 to check the electoral roll. “If they find that their names are not listed in the electoral roll, they can make a claim by filing in Form C through the online app at https://myspr.spr.gov.my or visit the state EC office concerned,” he said.