Medklinn Asens +20

As we are approaching the end of June, there is no telling whether the national lockdown will be relaxed next month. I predicted some of us will be allowed to go back to work in stages by next month.

Hence, in anticipation of going back to work soon, I recently purchased an air sterilizer which is meant for my work station. I had noticed some of my colleagues had adopting a much bulkier air purifier in their office space. I reckon it isn't practical to bring a cumbersome air purifier into the office. After some research, I came across Medklinn air sterilizer.

I first get to know Medklinn when I saw their air sterilizer was installed across Jaya Grocer supermarket during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a Malaysian made product and it is definitely a way to support our local business.

I opt for Asens +20 (RM569) first to give it a try first. This model is suitable for coverage area of 200 sq ft and ideal for a small bedroom. Inside the box, is the main unit, adaptor and Asens + cartridge which has been installed to the main unit. It doesn't come with an operating manual but there is a QR code which will direct you to their website to download the manual.

The unit is 19.5cm x 10.1cm x 7.6cm in dimension and weight 750g. It is pretty compact and will take minimal space in a room.

The technical data can be found at the rear side of the unit. Apparently, this is a patented product in Malaysia and Singapore.

Opening the grilled housing will reveal the cartridge. The patented Cerafusion Technology Cartridge is maintenance free and only need replacement once a year. The unit can be switched on all day long and the power consumption is less than 6.5W.

By looking at the cartridge itself, I believe it works like an air ionizer with a current running along the wire loop. This cartridge will produce active oxygen consisting of controlled levels of ozone and negative ions. This will eliminates 99.9% viruses, bacteria, allergens, mould, bad odour and other toxic substances. 

The replacement cartridge is sold separately at RM139. The replacement unit for some reason is not fully in black. Replacement of the cartridge is quite easy.

Ideally the unit is suppose to be placed horizontally although it can also be placed upright. When turned on, there is what appear to be UV light or some sort generated in way of the cartridge. It also gave out a gas leaking noise which can be heard around 2m radius. Although it ain't completely silent, the emitted noise is still at an acceptable level (38dB). There is also a dial for low, medium and high settings although it isn't clear which direction is high or low.

I have been testing this unit for a few days now in my bedroom. I definitely can smell the "fresh and sterilized" air coming out of it and filled my entire bedroom. I am pretty confident of its performance and will definitely use it to sterilize the air and surface of my workstation when the current lockdown is relaxed.

I am also considering to buy their other model which will cover a wider area (450 sq ft) in the future.

My First Covid-19 Vaccination

I am not an avid supporter for Covid-19 vaccine as I strongly believe our own immune system is capable of dealing with the virus. However, some of us are virtually been "forced" to take the vaccination due to employment reason. So much for human right.

One of the Vaccination Dispensing Centre in Putrajaya is Dewan Seri Seroja at Precint 15 where I was assigned for my first jab.

A week before my appointment date, I been told there had been a 4 hours long wait before getting their shot. This is due to people not adhering to the appointment time and they just came to join the queue.

For those coming for the first dose, the line started at the rear entrance of the venue. Those coming for the second dose will queue at the front main entrance.

I notice there has been a lesson learnt from those manning the venue this time around. The guard will call out the appointment time and allow those who had been allocated the time into the make shift tent for early verification. Those who came too early from their appointment time will remain in their queue waiting for their turns.

My appointment was at 8.30am and I saw the vaccine arrived around 8.20am under police escort.

Beyond this point, camera is not allowed. Basically, you prepare your IC for identification at the registration desk before moving to the first floor to complete the Covid-19 Vaccination Form. A word of caution, at this point, it is a point of no return as you are basically been "forced" to agree to receive the vaccine injection. 

After completing the form, you will be seeing a doctor who will explain about the side effects of the vaccine. This is also the time to tell the doctor if you have any health problems. There are 2 vaccines available here; Pfizer and Sinovac and the doctor will assess which one will you get.

Since I do not have any health problem, Sinovac was assigned to me. I am thanking my lucky star as I am not getting those gene therapy vaccine. Since Sinovac is an inactivated vaccine, I have more peace of mind taking it. I would have to think how to escape from the centre should I get other type of vaccine.

The shot was quick and smooth and soreness started to develop at my arm in less than 5 minutes after the jab. 

After the jab, you have to collect the vaccination reminder card which you need to bring for your second dose. My next appointment is in 3 weeks time.

After collecting the reminder card, we are directed to the observation room at the ground floor. Here, we were observed for 20 minutes for any complication.

Overall, the vaccination process went smoothly and it was 9.20am by the time I exited the centre. It has been 48 hours since the first jab at the time of writing and I have not developed any symptoms or side effect from the vaccine except for the mild pain at the injection point.

Does Lockdown Works?

Our country entered its third national lockdown on 1st June 2021 to give some breathing spaces to our health care system due to high positive Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the year. The reason for the lockdown was primarily to "flatten the curve", the words made famous by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

What was not explained was that the total infectious and deaths would be about the same over time with or without lockdown. Flattening the curve merely means elongating the curve over a longer span of time. The peak load is lower, but the duration is longer. Total cases and fatalities are defined by the total area under the curve and not by the height of the curve at a particular point. 

Hence, the last ditch to contain the virus is through mass immunization up to a point where there has been a suggestion to make it mandatory for everyone to be inoculated under the emergency ordinance. There's only one problem with this vaccine rationale. An effective vaccine is highly unlikely. Even a successful vaccine must be judged in the context of viral mutation. The vaccine could have produces antibodies for one version of the virus, only to discover the virus mutated into a more lethal form that is unaffected by those antibodies.

I am particularly concerned to be injected with the so called vaccine which utilize the mRNA technology. These experimental gene therapy will enter your cell and orders the cell to construct a spike protein similar to SARS-CoV-2. This spike protein then produces antibodies that can reduce your reaction to SARS-CoV-2 if you got it but it does not prevent you from getting COVID and it does not prevent you from spreading it to others. The spike protein remains with you indefinitely as there is no "off" switch to it. In effect, you have modified your own genetic to fight COVID without gaining immunity and without reducing transmissibility. It is best to trust your own natural immune system to do its job. 

Lockdowns are very good at destroying economy and could be the biggest economic blunders in our nation's history. Jobs and businesses will be lost and government will keep printing money to keep their sunken ship afloat. I foresee another great depression which will make the 1997 & 2008 economic crisis a walk in the park. The effect this time would be inter-generation and we should be prepared for it.

If an infectious virus is spotted early enough and infections are few and in a confined area, then an extreme quarantine can be effective. Together with voluntary social distancing, hand washing and proper masks, a nationwide full lockdown could have been avoided but our country might have miss the boat already.

Lockdowns do not stop the spread of the virus but they do destroy the economy. The costs are just too great and better alternatives must be explored.

Pulse Oximeter and Covid-19

Oxyhemoglobin is a very important parameter for the respiratory circulation system and one convenient way to measure the blood oxygen level is by fingertip pulse oximeter.

With mass Covid-19 testing still an issue here, having a pulse oximeter could be handy. Covid-19 cause direct injury to a person's lungs which have impact on well oxygen is transferred in the bloodstream. It will be a matter of life and death when the oxygen level is low.

Nowadays, we hears many cases where young person with Covid-19 appear well but have very low oxygen level. By the time, they become seriously ill, it will be too late to rescue them. Hence, it is imperative that our blood oxygen level is regularly monitored and detect any anomalies at early stage.

With that in mind, I decided to get myself an oximeter which sell like hot cakes now. There are many cheap oximeters in the market but as a rule of thumb, anything above RM100 would be a dependable device. This ChoiceMMed model MD300C15D cost RM183.

Inside the packaging includes a pulse oximeter, lanyard, user manual, pouch and 2 X AAA batteries. According to the manual, the oximeter has a lifespan of 5 years when it is used for 15 measurements every day and 10 minutes per one measurement.

The oximeter is powered by 2 AAA batteries and are to be fitted at the battery compartment below the unit.

This oximeter is simple to operate and compact to carry around. This is how you opened up the unit to slide any finger into it for measurement. There is no pricking and is a non-invasive monitoring method.

The oximeter works by using infrared light refraction to measure how well oxygen is binding in red blood cells where two beams of different wavelength of lights can be focused onto the nail tip through the clamping finger type sensor.

There are 2 readings which can be read from the oximeter. The measured arterial hemoglobin saturation value is in percentage and healthy individual should register reading between 95-100%. If the reading is below 90%, that should raise an alarm and one should make a trip to hospital to get treatment even if one appear to be healthy and without any Covid-19 symptoms.

Another reading which was capture is the pulse indicator. a normal reading should be in the range of 60-100bpm.

Oximeter should not be consider as the ultimate screening test for Covid-19 but it can give early indication of what could go wrong with our respiratory system and seek early help.