How to test yourself for Covid-19

https://youtu.be/WZHrn2zMU7w

You can now perform your own coronavirus (COVID-19) test, in your own home. The test is for people 16 years and above. This video provides a step by step guide to help you perform the test correctly. For more information see: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/response-...

The Health Ministry, through its Facebook page, has shared a how-to guide on the correct way to use the Covid-19 self-test kits that are now available in the market.

People who purchase the kits and do self-testing should follow the steps below to make sure the results are accurate.

According to the guide, which includes a video clip of a person using an RTK-Antigen kit, users are advised not to eat or drink anything other than water, or smoke before doing the test, although it does not specify for how long.

They should ensure the kit includes a user manual, extraction buffer rack, disposable swabs, extraction tube and test cassette.

Firstly, prepare the test rack by folding the rack and placing the extraction tube into the folded rack.

Then, the first swab involves taking samples from the mouth by swabbing the left and right inner cheek, and the palate, for at least five times.

The swab is then placed into the extraction tube prepared earlier.

The second swab is then done by swabbing the nostrils, gently inserting the fabric tip up to two centimetres into the nose and repeating the step for both nostrils.

While doing the nostril swab, the tip must be rolled in circles for five rounds before placing the sample into the same extraction tube.

Once both samples are immersed in the extraction buffer, it must be shaken vigorously 10 times.

To ensure samples are extracted completely, squeeze the swab by pinching the extraction tube.

Next, remove the swab from the tube and dispose of it using the disposable bag prepared.

For the test, remove the test cassette from the packaging carefully.

Add two drops of the sample into the cassette well (smaller hole on the cassette) while making sure there are no air bubbles.

The sample will start wicking up the membrane and the results can be seen in 10 to 15 minutes. Compare the results using the manual.

A positive result is marked with two lines on the cassette with one line next to Control (letter C) and another line (even faded) next to Test (letter T).

A negative result of the test is represented by a single line next to the letter C.

Meanwhile, if there is no line seen or a line seen next to only the letter T, the result is invalid and the test needs to be repeated.

If the result is positive, users must consult a healthcare professional immediately and an assessment will be made based on the patient’s medical background.

An additional test using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) will also be made, and the patient needs to self-isolate.

There are currently a few self-test kits approved by the Health Ministry through the Medical Devices Authority (MDA): the Salixium Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Rapid Test (saliva/nasal swab samples) made by Reszon Diagnostic International Sdn Bhd, and Gmate Covid-19 Ag Saliva For Home Use by Philosys Co Ltd of Korea, which were given conditional approval to be distributed locally.

Another kit is the Beright Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Test Device (Oral Fluid) made by Hangzhou Alltest Biotech Co Ltd, which was announced on Sunday.

The list will be updated from time to time, and it can also be checked at the MDA portal.

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US must see its own human rights issues !

 

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 China should use sustained development & strength building to overwhelm US' will to contain China 

The US cannot overwhelm China. China should use sustained development and strength building to overwhelm the US' will to contain China. This is the determination of the Chinese people. 

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TIANJIN: Foreign Ministry Vice-Minister Xie Feng has said the China-US relationship is in a stalemate, “faces serious difficulties”, and the fundamental reason behind this is because some Americans portray China as an “imagined enemy”.

Xie, vice-minister in charge of US affairs, made the remarks during talks with visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman here yesterday.

He noted the “Pearl Harbor moment” and “Sputnik moment” have been brought up by some Americans when talking about conflict with China and challenges facing the United States.

Some international scholars, including some US academics, perceive this as comparing China to Japan in World War II and the Soviet Union in the Cold War, he said.

By making China an “imagined enemy”, he added, a national sense of purpose could be reignited in the US, and their hope may be that by demonising China, the US could shift domestic public discontent over political, economic and social issues.

“A whole-of-government and whole-of-society campaign is being waged to bring China down”, Xie said, adding the belief appears to be when China’s development is contained, all US domestic and external challenges would go away, and the US would “become great” again and the so-called Pax Americana would continue.

He criticised the US for manufacturing issues with China, noting that the US side appears to have nothing else to talk about.

“We urge the United States to change its highly misguided mindset and dangerous policy,” he said.

The US is in no position to lecture China on democracy and human rights, said Xie, urging the US to address its own human rights issues first.

Xie pointed out that historically, the US had engaged in genocide against Native Americans. Presently, the US has lost 620,000 lives because of its halting response to Covid-19. Internationally, the frequent US military action and the wars caused by US lies have brought undue catastrophe to the world.

“How can the United States portray itself as the world’s spokesperson for democracy and human rights?” Xie asked.

Xie said the US side was in no position to lecture China on democracy and human rights.

“Without the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, an effective political system and a development path suited to China’s circumstances, how could it be possible for the Chinese people to ever generate such immense creativity and productivity if people on the streets in China were all denied democracy, freedoms and human rights?

“Without those, how could a super-sized country like China with over a billion people ever achieve the twin miracles of rapid economic growth and sustained social stability?” Xie said. — China Daily/ANN

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  THE GLOCALISATION OF HUMANITY 

  
  

Govcoins and crypto to coexist

 

GOVERNMENT-backed coins and private cryptocurrencies will coexist for a while, despite rising regulatory walls set by the government to counter virtual coins, experts at a global webinar session said Thursday.

Noting that cryptocurrencies and digital currencies by governments are “two different animals,” they will coexist for now partly because current cryptocurrencies are not actually solving payment problems.

“How many of them (cryptocurrencies) are solving actual payment problem? Most of them are speculative and used as a means of storage,” said Nelson Chow, chief fintech officer of the Fintech Facilitation Office at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.

Chow said that some central bank digital currency, or CBDC, projects such as Multiple CBDC Bridge have the potential to solve decades-old problems for cross-border transactions. Multiple CBDC Bridge is a wholesale CBDC co-creation project between the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Bank of Thailand, the People‘s Bank of China and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates.

Under the current regulatory environment, John Kiffmeiste, a former senior financial sector expert at the International Monetary Fund, said that it is unlikely that the emergence of CBDC projects, now numbering nearly 60 according to Kiffmeiste’s data, would make crypto assets obsolete.

“CBDC has to operate within confines of tax regulations, anti-money laundering, KYC (know-your-customer) and so many other regulations whereas cryptocurrencies don’t operate in that environment,” the economist added.

Speakers at the webinar co-hosted by The Investor, a tech media outlet run by The Korea Herald, Malaysia’s The Star and the Asia News Network.

But, Kiffmeiste pointed out that as the regulatory and legislative walls are closing in on crypto assets, they will come under the same rules that other types of conventional currencies operate under. “In that case, that levels the playing field. Perhaps in that new world, CBDCs and cryptocurrencies coexist, but crypto assets become redundant as at least payment medium.”

Andrew Sheng, one of Asia’s top economists, stressed that authorities should understand the complex contextual backgrounds that have brought about the rising interest in CBDCs and cryptocurrencies.

Noting that the value of the cryptocurrency market has reached US$1.2tril – half the value of the official gold reserves – Sheng said cryptocurrencies had grown outside of the purview of public control. “This was the big lesson of the Covid-19, private cyber currencies will be with us whether you like it or not,” Sheng said.

The tug-of-war between regulators and cryptocurrencies is most apparent in the US in the area of stablecoins like USD Coin, a digital equivalent of the US dollar.

The US-proposed Stable Act will bring USD stablecoin issuers into conventional regulatory perimeters.

Kevin Werbach, a professor of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said that the cryptocurrency industry does not have to be allergic to regulations.

“There is always a notion that we have to choose either innovation or regulation. And I think it’s a false dichotomy. For new technological markets to mature and develop, they need to be trusted. They need to get to the point where ordinary people around the world are willing to participate in these activities at scale, and regulations are an important part of that,” Werbach said.

As to the increasing public controls on crypto assets, speakers called for regulations compatible with the emerging cryptocurrency industry. They shared a similar view that cryptocurrency companies and regulators must work together on bringing the industry into the system.

“Since innovation is always ahead of regulation, it is inevitable for regulators to rely on us when drafting policies. It is crucial to reshape their ‘legacy mindset’ and make them understand the nature and dynamics of cryptocurrency,” said Marcus Lim, CEO and co-founder of Zipmex.

They were speaking at a webinar co-hosted by The Investor, a tech media outlet run by The Korea Herald, Malaysia’s The Star and the Asia News Network entitled “The rise of Govcoins & What’s next for crypto”. Speakers at the July 22 virtual seminar included a group of experts in the US, Europe and Asia who are navigating the current situation surrounding the development of central bank digital currencies and challenges posed by and to cryptocurrencies.

Experts said that central bank digital currencies have a huge potential to solve many issues, ranging from decades-old problems involving cross-border transactions to digital transformation.

Kiffmeiste noted that almost 60 jurisdictions are currently exploring retail CBDCs, with countries like the Bahamas and China at the forefront, but they are divided in their motivations for issuing the CBDCs. For instance, emerging economies consider CBDCs as a way to spur financial digitalisation, while advanced economics mull digital currency as part of financial stability and to improve monetary policies. — The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

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