Malaysia has reached the 80% vaccination rate for its adult population. Teens age 12 to 17 are now undergoing inoculation, the administration aiming to vaccinate 80% of the group before school re-opens for the 2022 academic year. This should pave the way for a greater economic reopening come the final quarter of the year. Life should turn near-normal in 2022, unless the Covid-19 situation deteriorates and pushes the public health system to the brink of collapse again.

Once Covid-19 is no longer a daily headline, the true test of the new government begins. Due to the pandemic, many important issues concerning long-term national interests have been set aside. These include Malaysia’s rapidly ageing population, intensifying polarisation, sluggish climb up the value chain, climate change, etc. As explained in the Climate Change Special write-ups under our KLSE Conclusion, the world will be increasingly afflicted by climate change in the coming years, and like it or not, Malaysia is already rapidly falling into the eye of the storm. The sooner the government makes preparations for this global phenomenon, the less worrying it is for Malaysia.