Good morning, here's what you need to know today.

Key Highlights

• Vaccines friction
  
  
• Tax suits
  
  
• Vaccination myth
  
  

Vaccines friction

Some state governments, such as Penang, are unhappy that Putrajaya blocked them from procuring their own Covid-19 vaccines but allowed Sarawak to do so.

Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng suggested Penang should defy Putrajaya and go ahead with an offer by a private firm to sponsor two million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Immunisation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin explained that Putrajaya signed an agreement with vaccine suppliers where they must prioritise the federal government even if they received orders from state governments or private firms.

Meanwhile, the Selangor government, which previously expressed interest to procure its own Covid-19 vaccines, began registering employers who are interested to purchase the vaccine for their employees.

In another development, Sarawak, which previously rejected the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, reversed its position.

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Tax suits

Mohd Nazifuddin, the son of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, was the latest to be slapped with a bankruptcy notice by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

This was the progression from a series of tax suits filed against Najib and his associates. Najib was also served a bankruptcy notice on April 5.

The Inland Revenue Board also has cases against Najib’s other children Mohd Nizar and Nooryana Najwa. They are all challenging the tax claims.

Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who was also slapped with a tax claim, decried it as a "political move".

Meanwhile, Najib’s appeal hearing against his 12-year jail sentence in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case at the Court of Appeal came to a conclusion. A decision date will be decided in the near future.

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	Cops to question eight over protest near Parliament State reps have also been summoned.

Vaccination myth

Taman Medan assemblyperson Syamsul Firdaus complained about being infected with Covid-19 despite receiving two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. He later clarified that he was only joking.

It should be noted that Covid-19 vaccines do not provide absolute immunity. If a vaccine has a 95 percent efficacy - as is in the case of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - then you’ll have a 95 percent lower risk of becoming infected.

However, the vaccines are highly effective in preventing people from becoming critically ill or dying from Covid-19.

This is significant at a time when hospitals are overwhelmed and those who become critically ill from Covid-19 may not receive optimal care.

For this reason, the government has not allowed vaccinated people a free pass to enter the country, despite lobbying from tourism groups.

A country is only safe after its population achieves herd immunity (70-80 percent of the people vaccinated).

HIGHLIGHTS

	MMA wants immediate audit of Covid-19 test kits The doctors are worried about quality control.
	Majority of people follow SOP, but some are tired People suffering from SOP fatigue.
	DAP asks ROS for permission to postpone its congress This comes in view of the Covid-19 spike.

 

A daily glance at Covid-19

• 4,865 new cases yesterday (May 18), a new high since the resurgence of the third wave since early April.
  
  
• 47 new deaths, the second consecutive day a new record was set. Intensive Care Unit patients stand at 531, the 13th consecutive day of a new record-high.
  
  
• All states recorded more than 100 new cases except for Sabah and Perlis as well as the Federal Territories of Putrajaya and Labuan.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.
  
  

What else is happening?

• The Selangor Health Department promised to improve the overwhelmed Covid-19 quarantine centre at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) amid complaints that people have to wait up to six hours to get a bed.
  
  
• Perak, Kedah, Terengganu and Pahang have a Covid-19 infectivity rate of more than 1.2, significantly higher than the national average of 1.06 as of May 17.
  
  
• Deputy Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal refuted claims that he violated the SOP after a restaurant owner posted on Instagram that the Bersatu leader had visited his restaurant for an hour. Wan Ahmad Fayshal claimed he had ordered nasi goreng kambing for takeaway and was only there for 15 minutes.
  
  
• Celebrity Neelofa is under police investigation again for allegedly violating Covid-19 SOP, this time for a Hari Raya gathering. She was previously probed for a crowded wedding and a shopping trip despite an interstate travel ban.
  
  
• Police questioned two Malaysiakini journalists over reports on the death of A Ganapathy. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit after being released from police custody and later died.
  
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

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	'Riot' in Parit Raja: Seven more arrested All have been remanded for three days.

What are people saying?

	Covid-19 - consider the safety of medical students By Dr Moy Foong Ming
	Deadly politicking main cause of fresh Mid East conflict By Jamari Mohtar
	Interracial marriage key to reducing racism? By Eric Loo

CARTOON KINI