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Thursday, November 30, 2023

‘Follow SOP to check Covid-19’, Containing the rising spread

 

Mask up to be safe: People wearing face masks as a protective measure against air pollution and Covid-19 in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. — Filepic


Containing the rising spread


Keep safety measures up as the year-end holidays approach says health experts


PETALING JAYA: As Covid-19 caseloads increase, health experts say Malaysians must exercise vigilance to avoid catching the life-threatening disease and other infectious respiratory diseases such as influenza.

These experts say that keeping safety measures up, especially as the year-end holidays approach, can protect yourselves and others besides preventing both asymptomatic and symptomatic spread of respiratory illnesses, which are more dangerous for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and chronically ill.

Public health medicine specialist Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said that during the year-end rainy and wet season, there will be many respiratory infection cases due to viruses.

He said the public should not only take measures to prevent Covid-19 but also other respiratory diseases and food and water-borne illnesses during these wet months.

“Covid-19 is still with us and can cause severe illness and even death. Practise SOP (standard operating procedure) like wearing a mask, washing hands, avoiding crowded places, seeking treatment and completing the immunisation schedule,” he said.

On Nov 23, the Health Ministry said that Covid-19 cases had risen by 28% between Nov 12 and 18 at 2,305 infections compared to 1,801 the week before.

ALSO READDaily confirmed cases steadily rising since September

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz said given that Covid-19 symptoms were now mild for most, there was a high likelihood of those infected not performing self-tests or isolating themselves. She also stressed on the use of face masks for those with flu-like symptoms and isolation if the individual is confirmed to contract Covid-19.

“Skipping these practices could be one of the main reasons why there is an increase in cases,” she said.

Dr Azizan said those with influenza should mask up when going around, adding that Covid-19-positive individuals should report themselves through the MySejahtera app.

She also reminded those in high-risk categories to ensure that they have received the recommended boosters and use a face mask when in crowded places and situations.

“The elderly are also recommended to take the influenza vaccine as they may have a weaker immune system. The same goes for children above six months of age,” she said. “And do not forget the good habits the pandemic has taught us: wash hands often with soap and water or use sanitiser.”

Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said that while the recent 28% surge in cases was concerning, it had to be ascertained whether there was also a rise in virulence.

ALSO READ: Health Ministry to send report to PAC over Covid-19 management

The health economist and public health specialist with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said there is a need to look at trends of Covid-19 admissions and patients with severe respiratory symptoms.On whether a major outbreak is possible, Dr Sharifa Ezat said it is unlikely “unless a new variant of concern comes up, and is highly virulent”.

She also advised patients with mild Covid-19 to wear a mask and get boosted if they have yet to do so, while those with severe symptoms should get tested and seek treatment.

“Immunocompromised populations are at higher risk of developing severe symptoms as well,” she said, referring to those with obesity, young children, the elderly and individuals with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes.

Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said there has been a small increase in Covid-19 patients in private hospitals but the situation is still manageable.

“We have seen spikes after festive periods and we should be careful with very crowded places during gatherings,” he added.

Malaysian Pharmacists Society president Amrahi Buang said the new wave of infections was likely due to new variants and it has been happening in other countries as well, such as in Perth, Australia.

Last week, a surge in Covid-19 cases prompted the government of the Western Australian state to reintroduce face mask rules at Perth public hospitals.

Amrahi said the current rise in infections in Malaysia is concerning, adding that people have not been using MySejahtera to self-report.

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Monday, November 27, 2023

Rift over future of AI development

Sam Altman was fired on Nov 17 from the company that created the popular ChatGPT chatbot. To many, he was considered the human face of generative AI. — Reuters

OpenAI CEO calls for global cooperation on AI regulation, says ‘China has some of the best AI talent in the world’

THE rift that cost artificial-intelligence whiz kid Sam Altman his CEO job at OpenAI reflects a fundamental difference of opinion over safety, broadly, between two camps developing the world-altering software and pondering its societal impact.

On one side are those, like Altman, who view the rapid development and, especially, public deployment of AI as essential to stress-testing and perfecting the technology. On the other side are those who say the safest path forward is to fully develop and test AI in a laboratory first to ensure it is, so to speak, safe for human consumption.

Altman, 38, was fired on Nov 17 from the company that created the popular ChatGPT chatbot. To many, he was considered the human face of generative AI.

Some caution the hyper-intelligent software could become uncontrollable, leading to catastrophe – a concern among tech workers who follow a social movement called “effective altruism,” who believe AI advances should benefit humanity.

Among those sharing such fears is OpenAI’s Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist and a board member who approved Altman’s ouster.

A similar division has emerged between developers of self-driving cars – also controlled by AI – who say they must be unleashed among dense urban streets to fully understand the vehicles’ faculties and foibles; whereas others urge restraint, concerned that the technology presents unknowable risks.


Altman attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in San Francisco, California. — Reuters

Those worries over generative AI came to a head with the surprise ousting of Altman, who was also OpenAI’s cofounder.

Generative AI is the term for the software that can spit out coherent content, like essays, computer code and photo-like images, in response to simple prompts.

The popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT over the past year has accelerated debate about how best to regulate and develop the software.

“The question is whether this is just another product, like social media or cryptocurrency, or whether this is a technology that has the capability to outperform humans and become uncontrollable,” said Connor Leahy, CEO of ConjectureAI and a safety advocate. “Does the future then belong to the machines?”

Sutskever reportedly felt Altman was pushing OpenAI’s software too quickly into users’ hands, potentially compromising safety.

“We don’t have a solution for steering or controlling a potentially superintelligent AI, and preventing it from going rogue,” he and a deputy wrote in a July blog post. “Humans won’t be able to reliably supervise AI systems much smarter than us.”

Of particular concern, reportedly, was that OpenAI announced a slate of new commercially available products at its developer event earlier this month, including a version of its ChatGPT-4 software and so-called agents that work like virtual assistants.

Sutskever did not respond to a request for comment.

The fate of OpenAI is viewed by many technologists as critical to the development of AI. Discussions on Altman to be reinstalled have fizzled, dashing hopes among the former CEO’s acolytes.

ChatGPT’s release last November prompted a frenzy of investment in AI firms, including US$10bil from Microsoft into OpenAI and billions more for other startups, including from Alphabet and Amazon.com.

That can help explain the explosion of new AI products as firms like Anthropic and ScaleAI race to show investors progress. Regulators, meanwhile, are trying to keep pace with AI’s development, including guidelines from the Biden administration and a push for “mandatory self-regulation” from some countries as the European Union works to enact broad oversight of the software.

While most use generative AI software, such as ChatGPT, to supplement their work, like writing quick summaries of lengthy documents, observers are wary of versions that may emerge known as “artificial general intelligence”, or AGI, which could perform increasingly complicated tasks without any prompting. This has sparked concerns that the software could, on its own, take over defence systems, create political propaganda or produce weapons.

OpenAI was founded as a non-profit eight years ago, in part to ensure its products were not driven by profit-making that could lead it down a slippery slope toward a dangerous AGI, what is referred to in the company’s charter as any threatening to “harm to humanity or unduly concentrate power”. But since then, Altman helped create a for-profit entity within the company for the purpose of raising funds and other aims. — Reuters

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US foreign policy root cause of Gaza crisis

 

JIN DING/CHINA DAILY


The bloody Israel-Palestine conflict that broke out more than a month ago has not yet subsided, has caused heavy loss of lives and the number of casualties on both sides continues to rise, which is heartbreaking. It goes without saying that the historical roots of the conflict are deep and the situation is far more complex than it seems, and the US' Middle East policy is largely to blame for the conflict.

It all started with former US president Donald Trump announcing in 2018 the plan to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which effectively means the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a goal the latter has long sought.

The US' handling of this conflict has also added fuel to the fire on the ground. Although the US ultimately called Israel for a "humanitarian cease-fire" following pressure from the Arab world and the international community, it has already lost support internationally. The various diplomatic measures the US undertakes violate the morality of a major power and are closely related to its political system.

On the surface, this conflict was triggered by an attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, but the underlying reason is the accumulation of hatred and anger between the two sides as the Palestinian issue has not been resolved

According to Resolution 181 (United Nations Plan for the Partition of the Mandate of Palestine) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Nov 29, 1947, the establishment of two temporary states was proposed, one being the Jewish state of Israel and the other the state of Palestine

However, this resolution has never been implemented. Israel has not only occupied Palestinian land, but has also continued to expand and strengthen Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. It has implemented long-term blockades and violent suppression of Palestinians, causing Israel-Palestine conflicts to break out from time to time, and the grievances between the two sides to deepen.

Not only has the US failed to deal with the Palestinian issue seriously and fairly, it has instead favored and sheltered Israel. After Hamas launched the attack on Oct 7, the US Embassy in Jerusalem took the lead in tweeting condemnation of Hamas' attack, saying that the US was in touch with Israeli officials and fully supported Israel's "right to self-defense".

When US President Joe Biden met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Oct 18, he actually expressed support for Israel's counterattack instead of trying to ease the situation. That emboldened Israel to launch ruthless military strikes against Palestine. Israel's large-scale air strikes, including those targeting refugee camps and hospitals in Gaza, have caused heavy casualties to the people of Gaza.

Some 30 years ago, the US had briefly acted as a "peace messenger" trying to resolve the Israel-Palestine issue. In 1993, the leaders of Israel and Palestine signed the Oslo Accords under the guidance of then US president Bill Clinton. Israel and Palestine recognized each other's legitimacy and agreed to end the violent conflict through a peace agreement. Israel withdrew from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. Both sides established a road map for peace in the Middle East. Unfortunately, the agreement was blocked by radical forces on both sides, and then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated.

After the George W. Bush administration came to power, the US launched a war on terrorism because of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. It completely abandoned Clinton's Middle East peace process, turned to unilateralism, and promoted neo-conservatism with the goal of overthrowing "hostile governments" such as in Iraq.

When Barack Obama became president, the US adopted a moderate policy toward the Middle East. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, signed by Obama eased relations with Iran. On the Israel-Palestine issue, the Obama administration criticized Israel's actions in the West Bank and expressed dissatisfaction with the construction of Jewish settlements.

Unfortunately, after Trump was elected president, the US returned to the unilateralism of the Bush era. Adhering to the Cold War mentality, in order to maintain its hegemony, it continued to form cliques and provoked conflicts, triggering serious political and economic problems around the world. The conflict between the two sides has made the situation in the Middle East unstable and the Israel-Palestine conflict continues to this day. It can be seen that the evolution of Israel-Palestine relations from peace talks, conflicts to wars is closely linked to the attitude of the US.- China Daily/Asia News Network.

Edward Wong is a researcher of Hong Kong Sustainable Development Research Institute. Ivan Chu is a member of the Chinese Association of the Hong Kong and Macao Studies.

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Truce in Gaza 'a key window for humanitarian assistance'

Israel and Palestinian armed group Hamas have very limited mutual trust to execute the temporary cease-fire and a hostage release deal, so they need more time to solve technical problems, said experts on Thursday, as the Israeli side claimed that the truce will be delayed and no hostages will be released before Friday.

The West never had a chance at winning over the world

The West never had a chance at winning over the world