Acknowledgements We dedicate this editorial to our Malaysian frontliners and thank you for your dedication and sacrifices in this battle against COVID-19. You are part of Malaysian history as our heroes and heroines. Authors’ Contributions Conception and design: JMA Analysis and interpretation of the data: WFNWI, KIM, LYY Drafting of the article: LYY Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: JMA, WFNWI, AAR, AH Final approval of the article: JMA, IM, AAR, AH, KIM, LYY Statistical expertise: KIM Administrative, technical, or logistic support: IM Collection and assembly of data: WFNWI, IM, AAR, AH