Before vaccines were successfully implemented, the UK was one of the countries most seriously affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Even the prime minister and members of the royal family caught the virus. However, once the vaccines were good to go, the UK became the first country in the world to approve one with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine emergency authorisation, and then became the first country to begin mass inoculation. Its swift and decisive response eventually paid off, with the daily number of confirmed cases tumbling from 60,000-70,000 in late Dec 2020/Jan 2021 to around 3,000 currently. As a result, pubs, shops, gyms, and hairdressers in England have been allowed to open this week for the first time in months, ushering in a celebratory mood.

For Malaysia, the R-naught has risen above 1 again since early Apr and is in a rising trend. As schools have reopened and almost all kinds of businesses, including Ramadan bazaars, can now operate normally, Malaysia is at risk of seeing a new wave of confirmed cases. To prevent a resurgence, national mass vaccination efforts must pick up the pace as the minister in charge has said that the country’s vaccine supply will overtake registration volume in Jun.