Time stood still for millions of Malaysians on the tragic morning of 9th August. Malaysia lost one of it’s dearest angels, the famous singer, Siti Sarah Raisuddin. She succumbed to the complications of the Covid-19 virus and was pronounced dead at the Intensive Care Unit at Tuanku Muhriz Chancellor’s Hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM.
Malaysians were not the only ones who mourned the loss of the beautiful singer. The world remembered her through her hit songs such as “Kesetiaan” and soon the hashtag #Kesetiaan was trending on Twitter. People shared covers of her song in her memory and made tribute videos under the hashtag. BBC News covered her passing and the news has garnered reactions from more than thousands of international fans.
Her death also resonated with millions of pregnant women across the world. The eight-month pregnant Siti Sarah was put into an induced coma in order to save her baby boy via a C-section. Siti Sarah left the world leaving behind four children, with one whom she never got to hold.
Siti Sarah’s death also comes as Malaysia faces the worst Covid-19 wave ever with an average of 19, 497 new infections every day. The current surge in the pandemic addresses the vulnerability of pregnant women in Malaysia. While in 2020 there was no covid related death among pregnant women, by the 9th of August 2021, there have been over 17 pregnant moms who died due to complications of the Covid-19 virus.
The news of the death also coincides with a very controversial move to ease the restriction of the lock-down to vaccinated individuals. Vaccinated individuals are just as likely to get infected but they are proven to have minimal to no side effects of the virus. However, this is not the case for many who are still unvaccinated, which a large group of them happen to be pregnant women. According to mySejahtera App, the number of pregnant women who registered to get the vaccine is alarmingly low, at forty percent. Only 20 percent of pregnant women have gotten two complete doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
Shuib Sepahtu, Siti Sarah’s husband showed bravery as he shared the details surrounding the death of Siti Sarah with their fans on social media. He shared the passing of her news and gave his wise words to an audience of more than 500,000 words on his Instagram live. He also mentioned that her condition may have been aggravated as a result of her lack of vaccination.
Vaccinations have proven to minimize the severity of the disease but it was not until recently pregnant women in Malaysia has started getting vaccinated.
The world will remember Siti Sarah with the fondest of memories. Her poetic voice and lyrics will never be the same again. We will dearly remember her stage presence, her comeback, and all the melodic moments she shared with the world.
Featured Image Origin: Budiey | Flickr
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