Covid-19, Mortality and Inequality in Sarawak

Authors

  • Juna Liau
  • Sharifah Sophia binti Wan Ahmad Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
  • Siti Zanariah Ahmad Ishak

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33736/jbk.6168.2023

Keywords:

Covid-19, mortality, inequality, gender, Sarawak Borneo

Abstract

The first two males’ mortality in Malaysia due to COVID-19 announced by the authority on March 13, 2020. The fatalities became the major headlines on the media. Although many people discussed ‘actively’ about COVID-19, however conversations about deaths or funerals of victims from COVID-19 are quite ‘passive’ during the initial stage of the pandemic. When death occurs, biomedical examiners must examine death causation, mechanism and manners of death because COVID-19-related deaths are contagious. As a results, corpses are managed by authorised personnel with no or limited intervention from family or community members. These social responses to deaths from COVID-19 are paradox as funerals are traditionally communities’ responsibility. Due to surging cases of COVID-19, drastic measures are taken by the government globally to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and for social, economy and environment sustainability. This study aims to examine COVID-19 mortality patterns and its socio-cultural dimensions in Sarawak. Data are collected in the duration of 18 months from official sources and from participant observation. Data are analysed in several aspects including age, gender and co-morbidity. The findings show that mortality rates among males are significant higher compared to females. Most casualties occurred among age groups: 70-79, 60-69 and 50-59. The majority of cases have co-morbidity.

References

Ali, Sajid. (2021). The Print, ‘Dead body could infect us, wood is expensive’ — tragic stories of Covid victims in Ganga https://theprint.in/india/100-floating-bodies-dogs-crows-fighting-over-bones-a-gory-up-bihar-boat-ride-on-ganga/658354/

Anand, Ram. (2021). News Strait Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysian-business-groups-urge-quicker-release-of-details-on-essential-sectors

Bagcchi, S. (2020). Stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet. Vol. 20 (7). Pp. 782.

Borneo Post Online. (2020). https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/03/17/kuching-pastor-first-covid-19-death-in-malaysia-says-state-disaster-committee/

Challier, B., Meslans, Y. and Viel, J.F., (2000). Deprived areas and attendance to screening of cervix uteri cancer in a French region. Cancer Causes & Control, 11(2), pp.157-162.

Douglas, J. A., Bostean, G., Miles Nash, A., John, E. B., Brown, L. M., Subica, A. M. (2022). Citizenship Matters: Non-Citizen COVID-19 Mortality Disparities in New York and Los Angeles. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19: 2-12.

Dong, E., Du, H., & Gardner, L. (2020). An interactive web-based dashboard to track COVID-19 in real time. The Lancet, Vol. 20: pp. 533-544.

Eisenhart, M., & Jurow, A. S. (2011). Teaching qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 699-714). NY: Sage.

Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department. (2020). Household Income, Poverty and Household Expenditure, 1970-2019. Putrajaya: Equity Development Division, Economic Planning Unit.

Elengoe, A. (2020). COVID-19 Outbreak in Malaysia. Public Health and Research Perspectives,11 (3): pp. 93-100.

Harian Metro. (5 June 2021). https://www.hmetro.com.my/mutakhir/2021/06/714296/ada-peluang-adik-selamat-jika-terima-suntikan-vaksin-masing

The Straits Times. (30 May 2021). Malaysia's Covid-19 figures chart new grim records after deadliest week https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysian-business-groups-urge-quicker-release-of-details-on-essential-sectors

Khazanah Research Institute. (2020). Social Inequalities and Health in Malaysia: The State of Households 2020 Part III. Kuala Lumpur: Khazanah Research Institute. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution.

Koh, D. (2020). Migrant Workers and COVID-19. Occup Environ Med. 77: 634-636.

Lahelma, E., Martikainen, P., Laaksonen, M. and Aittomäki, A., (2004). Pathways Between Socioeconomic Determinants of Health. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 58(4), pp.327-332.

Liau, J & Wan Ahmad, S. S. (2022). Social Interaction Amid COVID-19 and Responses to the Pandemic in Sarawak. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Special Issue: Vol. 19. No.3 (2022). 162-178.

Lupton, D. (2020). Special section on ‘Sociology and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic’ Health Sociology Review, pp. 1-2.

Manderson, L. & Levine, S. (2020). COVID-19, Risk, Fear, and Fall-out. Medical Anthropology. Vol. 39, No.5, p.p. 367-370.

Metcalf, P. (1982). Borneo Journey into Death: Berawan Eschatology from Its Rituals. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

MySejahtera. (2021). https://mysejahtera.malaysia.gov.my/intro/

National Crisis Preparedness and Responses Centre (CPRC) .(2020). Ministry of Health Malaysia. https://www.facebook.com/CPRCKebangsaanKKM/

Nettleton, S. (2015). The Sociology of Health and Illness. Oxford, United Kingdom: Polity Press.

News Strait Times. (17 March 2020). https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-reports-first-death-from-coronavirus.

Phelan, J.C., Link, B.G. and Tehranifar, P., (2010). Social conditions as fundamental causes of health inequalities: theory, evidence, and policy implications. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51(1_suppl), pp. S28-S40.

Sarawak Disaster Management Committee. (2020). https://sarawakdisastermc.com/

Sarawak Disaster Information. (2020) https://www.facebook.com/SarawakDisasterInfo

Sarawak Voice. Local Sarawak News. (12 June 2022). Migrant workers in Sarawak need to betested. https://sarawakvoice.com/2020/06/12/migrant-workers-in-sarawak-need-to-be-tested/

Seale, C. (2008). Mapping the field of medical sociology: A comparative analysis of journals. Sociology of Health and Illness, 30(5), 677-699.

The Free Dictionary. (2022). https://www.thefreedictionary.com/comorbidity

The StarOnline. (17 March 2020). https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/17/pastor-from-sarawak-is-first-covid-19-fatality-in-malaysia

The SundayDaily. (30 May 2021). https://www.thesundaily.my/local/98-deaths-due-to-covid-19-a-dark-moment-for-malaysia-dr-noor-hisham-KH7911693

Wahab, A. (2020). The outbreak of COVID-19 in Malaysia: Pushing migrant workers at the margin. Social Sciences & Humanities Open. 2(1): 1-9.

Ward, P. R. (2020). Sociology of the COVID-19 pandemic: A commentary and research agenda for sociologists. Journal of Sociology, pp. 1-10.

Will, C. M. (2020). ‘And breathe…’? The sociology of health and illness in COVID-19 time. Sociology of Health & Illness, Vo. xx No. xx, pp. 1-5.

World (23 September 2020). COVID-19: Malaysia’s Sarawak state reels from foreign workers’ ban COVID-19. Vietnam. https://en.vietnamplus.vn/covid19-malaysias-sarawak-state-reels-from-foreign-workers-ban/187438.vnp

World Health Organization. (2021). Archived: WHO Timeline - COVID-19 https://www.who.int/news/item/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19

World Health Organization. (2022). Preparing for pandemic. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/activities/preparing-for-pandemics

Yusof ANM, Muuti MZ, Ariffin LA, Tan MKM. (2020). Sharing Information on COVID-19: the ethical challenges in the Malaysian setting. Asian Bioethics Review, 12(3):1-13.

Downloads

Published

2023-12-28

How to Cite

Liau, J., binti Wan Ahmad, S. S., & Ahmad Ishak, S. Z. (2023). Covid-19, Mortality and Inequality in Sarawak. Journal of Borneo-Kalimantan, 9(2), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.33736/jbk.6168.2023