Message from the Publisher #025 – A new stage of the fight with COVID19

A new stage of the fight with Covid-19

Last week marked a new stage of our fight with Covid-19.

In the US, the death toll by Covid-19 exceeded 500,000 and nearly 2.5 million died in the whole world. The number of infected totalled more than 112 million. Fortunately, the daily number of newly infected has gone down from a peak of 850,000 to 300,000. It is not sure whether this is resulted from the northern hemisphere becoming warmer after a cold winter, or the vaccination program started in the US and many European countries. But at least this is a good sign for the whole world.

In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has received the vaccine with a group of 20 including aged care facility residents, aged worker, health worker, and defence personnel. Chief medical officer Paul Kelly and Chief Nursing Officer Alison Mcmillan as decision-makers of this vaccination program also took the vaccine. The government is trying to build up trust in the public about the safety of the vaccination program.

Yes, vaccines are kept at minus 70 degrees and handling of these vaccines becomes a challenge. Doctors and health personnel need to be trained to work with special arrangements to assure that the vaccines would be stored and handled in the proper way. It is hoped that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine which has been approved to be used and produced locally will be an easier-managed vaccine to be used.

In last week, in the fight against the to-be-installed law by the federal government to force technology companies to pay news provider in sharing the news, Facebook has banned many government websites to post their information resulting in that important Covid-19 information not accessible on Facebook. Australians protested vigorously and the image of Facebook tarnished in this foolish action. A group of federal MPs with medical background had urged the Australians not to trust Covid-19 information received from Facebook since the official information was blocked.

We believe that Facebook should observe it has corporate social responsibility toward the society that has used its service.

Blessings!

Raymond Chow
Publisher, BlessingCALD