COVID-19: Chile negara pertama tawar suntikan dos keempat

CHILE menjadi negara pertama di dunia menawarkan suntikan vaksin COVID-19 dos keempat.

Program suntikan tambahan itu akan bermula minggu depan, menurut pengumuman dibuat Presiden Sebastian Pinera, di tengah-tengah penularan varian Omicron.

"Pengalaman menunjukkan keberkesanan vaksin adalah berkurangan dengan kemunculan varian baharu.

"Sehubungan itu, kami mengumumkan suntikan keempat akan bermula Isnin, 10 Jan.

"Kami akan mulakan pemberian vaksin besar-besaran bagi suntikan keempat dan dos penggalak," katanya di Santiago pada Khamis.

Chile antara negara yang mencatat kadar vaksinasi tinggi dan disifatkan boleh menjadi model contoh kerana bertindak balas cepat terhadap pandemik.

Setakat ini, 85 peratus populasinya sudah lengkap dua dos manakala 57 peratus sudah menerima dos penggalak.

Bagi suntikan dos keempat, kerajaan akan menggunakan jenis vaksin yang diluluskan untuk negara itu, termasuk Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac dan AstraZeneca.

Menteri Kesihatan Chile memaklumkan gabungan berlainan vaksin sepatutnya memberi tindak balas imun yang lebih baik.

Niaga SPOTLIGHT: Costing The Silent Threat of Obesity

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Malaysia are a growing burden on the health system, with a number of associated health issues and economic costs.

The annual cost of healthcare for NCDs is estimated to be over RM 9.65 billion. Meanwhile, the cost of disability and loss of healthy life years is estimated to be around RM 100.79 billion. Absenteeism due to NCDs is estimated to cost the Malaysian economy RM 2.6 billion annually.

From the common NCDs, obesity is one of THE most significant health threats, with nearly 20% of the Malaysian population currently classified as obese.

Additionally, more than half of all adults (54%) are overweight or obese. According to the World Obesity Atlas, this figure could rise to 41% in Malaysia by 2035, if preventive action is not taken.

Niaga Spotlight focuses on immediate strategies to address this growing silent threat of Obesity, which also burdens the national healthcare system as well as national productivity levels with significant impacts and costs.