Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Religious Harmony Maulana Tahir Ashrafi has said that mosques across the country will remain open during the holy month of Ramzan amid the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Statement of the premier’s aide coincided with the country reporting highest daily rise in the number of coronavirus infections in eight months as 4,974 cases in 24 hours took the tally to 672,931.
At least 98 deaths in a day took the total number of fatalities in the country to 14,530.
“There is decree of religious scholars that people should get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19,” Ashrafi told reporters in Islamabad on Wednesday.
He further said that scholars from various schools of thought have assured their full support to follow COVID-19 SOPs during prayers timings in Ramazan.
There are currently 3,303 critical patients of COVID-19 admitted at different hospitals in the country.
The country has so far conducted 1,02,47,374 coronavirus tests countrywide.
The positivity ratio reported in the last 24 hours is 9.93%.
While complete lockdown is time and again being ruled out by authorities, it merits a mention that last year’s months-long closure of all businesses had come while positivity ratio stood below 8%.
Amid reports of a delay in the procurement of vaccine, senior journalist Sohail Warraich has claimed that the government is in no hurry to order the coronavirus vaccine as most of the senior government members have already been vaccinated against the deadly disease.
In an article published in Jang, Warraich implied the bigwigs of this country are in no hurry to inoculate the masses as they now consider themselves safe following the administration of the vaccine. His article was shared by former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) minister Miftah Ismail, who retweeted the column on his Twitter handle.
In his column @suhailswarraich implies that all the bigwigs of the government have already got a vaccine and therefore there is no hurry for a vaccine for the rest of us. The President, PM and ministers should tell us whether they have already gotten vaccinated against Covid. pic.twitter.com/gwT4kHRu6a
A similar claim was made by journalist Saleem Safi as well. He tweeted that the senior government officials and aides of the prime minister have already been vaccinated. “These people are now distributing the vaccine to their near and dear ones,” he alleged.
نااہل ہونےکےساتھ ساتھ یہ حکومت ظالم بھی ہے۔اہم حکومتی اوروزیراعظم کےقریبی افرادچین سے ویکسین لےکرچوری چھپےلگا بھی چکے۔ قریبی لوگوں میں بھی بھانٹ رہے ہیں لیکن قوم کے لئے ابھی تک ویکسین کا آرڈر بھی نہیں دیا۔ایک طرف “ریاست مدینہ” کا نام اور دوسری طرف یہ سنگدلی؟ https://t.co/gmSmrtL8Xr
Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz rejected these claims. Talking to The Current, Faraz said he hasn’t heard anything like this to the best of his knowledge.
Asad Umar, who heads the National Command Operations Centre to fight the virus, also denied these reports while talking to a media outlet.
He said a proposal for the earliest vaccination of strategic leadership was presented earlier, but it was rejected by the government. “I, however, do not know if someone got themselves vaccinated in secret,” he added.
As the pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer, started to roll out vaccines, the government announced that Pakistan will have the vaccine by March 2020. However, a recent report revealed that the government has not even placed the final order for the procurement nor has any manufacturer agreed to sell it to Pakistan as of yet.
PM’s aide on health Dr Faisal Sultan was quoted by The News saying that Pakistan has yet to place a final order and strike a deal with a manufacturer.
On Dec 31, it was reported that the government had decided to purchase 1.2million doses of a Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm, amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak across the world.
Pakistan had planned to vaccinate its population in three phases: In the first phase, frontline health workers will be inoculated; the second phase will be focused on the elderly; the third phase will be for the general populace.
The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) announced on Monday that the highest COVID-19 occurrence has been recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s city of Abbottabad and the city of lights Karachi for the month of December.
The positivity rate is obtained by dividing the number of people who test positive for the coronavirus with the total number of tests conducted in 24 hours.
As per reports, Abbottabad’s positivity rate on Sunday was 25.5% and Karachi has been reporting positivity rate of above 12% in the last 10 days.
The NCOC said the national positivity rate, however, has decreased in the past few days. The month’s highest coronavirus ratio was recorded at 9.71% on December 6 while the number stood at 6.13% on Sunday.
The country has reported 1,974 cases in the past 24 hours while 55 people lost their lives and 1,760 recovered. Pakistan has reported 473,309 cases so far.
Pakistan on Tuesday recorded the highest single-day deaths ever during the second wave of coronavirus, reporting 111 fatalities amid reports that a new strain of coronavirus, similar to the one wreaking havoc in the United Kingdom, has also surfaced in Karachi.
Geo reported Coronavirus Task Force head Dr Attaur Rehman as saying that the authorities have discovered a new strain of coronavirus in the port city that is similar to the one spreading in Europe.
With the latest surge, the death toll in the country has reached 9,668. As per the breakdown, Punjab reported 51 deaths; Sindh 40 deaths; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14 deaths; Islamabad four deaths; while Balochistan reported only two deaths.
This is the second time that the country has reported over 100 deaths during the second wave of the deadly infection. On Dec 15, it had reported 105 deaths. The highest number of deaths due to the coronavirus took place in June when 141 people lost their lives to the deadly contagion.
While, recoveries on the other hand have risen to 417,134 after 1,782 more people recovered, according to the government’s COVID-19 portal. The portal also showed that 2,361 virus patients are in critical condition.
Health experts see the ever-increasing coronavirus cases as a result of the poor compliance of the COVID-19 protocols. It is also feared that the health system might crash soon if the tally continues to surge at the current pace.
Pakistan has decided to suspend all flights from the UK until December 29 after a new strain of the coronavirus emerged in the United Kingdom.
The restriction will be on all direct and indirect flights from the UK, effective December 23 at 12:00am, and will be applicable to all persons who are travelling from the UK and are in or have been in the UK for 10 days.
On the other hand some passengers will be exempted from these restrictions. Transit passengers who do not leave airside in the UK and who were travelling from areas other than the UK will be allowed to travel to Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani passport holders who travelled to the UK on visitor visas will be allowed to return with the following arrangements:
A negative PCR test within 72 hours before the flight
They will stay in the airport or in a government facility until the PCR test is taken.
Mandatory enforced home quarantine for 7 days
Trace and Test all passengers who arrived from the UK over the past 7 days as per TTQ protocol, including passengers arriving on 22 December.
The Pass Tack App, introduced by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), is mandatory for all travellers arriving in Pakistan. Those who do not have it will need to fill out the web form of the Pass Track App.
The passengers who do not have the Pass Track App will need to fill out the web form of the application.
“NCOC will review the above-mentioned decisions on December 28, 2020, and any change will be communicated to CAA for further necessary instructions,” the notification from the Aviation Division said.
It is important to mention that flights from the UK are being suspended to 40 countries across the world including, Spain, India and Hong Kong.
Other countries to impose a ban on UK arrivals include Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Russia, and Switzerland. Some of the bans are already in force while others are to begin on Tuesday.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) tweeted late on Saturday that it was “in close contact with UK officials on the new #COVID19 virus variant” and promised to update governments and the public as more is learned.
The new strain was identified in southeastern England in September and has been spreading in the area ever since, a WHO official told the BBC on Sunday.
A WHO spokeswoman told AFP that “across Europe, where transmission is intense and widespread, countries need to redouble their control and prevention approaches.”
It is important to note that while increased transmission is proportional to the chances of further mutation, the EU experts do not believe that the mutation should hinder the effectiveness of the vaccines.
All five babies born to women with COVID-19 infection during a study in Singapore have had antibodies against the virus, although the researchers said it is not yet clear what level of protection this may offer.
The findings from a study of 16 women released on Friday also found that most were mildy infected, while more severe reactions occurred in older women with a high body mass index – a trend that is mirrored in the general population.
Of the five who had delivered their babies by the time the study was published, all had antibodies, according to the Singapore Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Network.
The number of antibodies in the babies varied, and was higher among those whose mothers’ had been infected nearer to the time of delivery, the researchers said. Further monitoring is required to see whether the antibodies will decline as the babies get older, they added.
2020 has been a tough year for everyone across the globe considering the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns that followed. The World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a recent address remarked that the pandemic has shown humanity at “its best and worst”, pointing to “inspiring acts of compassion and self-sacrifice, breathtaking feats of science and innovation, and heartwarming demonstrations of solidarity.”
In Pakistan, people have come together to help those in need and those most-affected. While the government mobilised resources to help the affected, members of civil society also stepped up and extended their support. Among those who offered their assistance is British-Pakistani businessman Jawad Sohrab Malik, who is also credited as being one of the top donors to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Dam Fund.
Jawad Sohrab Malik
Jawad, through his charity organisation, The Sohrab Foundation, donated over 50,000 ration bags worth Rs 4,000 plus cash donation to daily wagers affected by the pandemic for distribution through the Pakistan Army. His efforts were appreciated by the armed forces and DG ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar honoured him with a memento to acknowledge his efforts and contribution for supporting the society and providing relief during these troubled times. He was also lauded by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa for his charity work, which is a huge feat in itself.
According to details, the Sohrab Foundation has been engaged in charitable work for the last 10 years. Speaking about the foundation’s journey, Jawad had said: “We started with Iftar Dastarkhwan for 1000 people and the scope kept increasing every year. Now, under our Ramazan Dastarkhawn Programme, we provide meals to at least 300,000 people each year at multiple locations across the country.”
He explained that due to the pandemic, the foundation decided to divert funds towards those affected by the virus and lockdown.
“The needs of our times are increasingly urgent and this is a time when our countrymen need us the most. We must do all we can in our capacity to help those in need as this is the essence of our religion too. After all, we must not forget that Allah brings us in this world just so that we can help others and a person’s most useful asset is his or her willingness to assist another.”
Furthermore, speaking exclusively to The Current Jawad added: “Charity has always been a focal pillar in our lives. This is what I learnt from my father and am just carrying on what he taught us on a larger and more organised scale and structure.”
“Helping is above all, this doesn’t necessarily mean financially. It could be assisting someone with your time, advice, with kind words. As long as you can somehow comfort and help someone and make them feel better that’s what matters,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Jawad is also playing a key role in building up trade relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. Earlier, in March 2019, Jawad had invited Labour MPs Naz Shah, Faisal Rasheed and former cabinet minister and Tory peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi to his residence in Islamabad and informed them that Pakistani government under Prime Minister Imran Khan was committed to building stronger relations between the two countries and wanted businesses to invest in Pakistan. He shared the incentives the country was offering and encouraged them to also assist in building ties.
As always, pleasure meeting British Pakistani businessman @JawadSohrab during my visit to Pakistan. Learnt a great deal about the excitement of overseas entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan as well as their contributions for both British and Pakistani economy #Inspiredpic.twitter.com/ROP2oWaz8Q
“Life is too short, so let’s do everything we can today to help people now,” is what Jawad says his motto in life is and he is trying to do whatever he can to give back to his people and his country.
Official confirmation of the abandonment on medical grounds came today (Monday) after a series of postponements and cancellations over the last three days.
A joint statement released by Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board stated the decision was taken by the two boards “to ensure the mental and physical health and welfare of players from both teams.” Both boards will work together to reschedule the series, which is part of the ICC Cricket Men’s Super League.
The ECB and CSA have agreed to postpone the remaining matches in the current men’s ODI Series.
England will return home without having played any of-the-three scheduled one-day internationals. The decision to call off the tour followed apparent breaches of the bio-secure environment at the hotel in Cape Town where both teams are staying.
A South African player tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday. Two hotel staff members then tested positive before two members of the England touring party returned what were described as “unconfirmed positive tests” on Sunday.
The series was to have started in Cape Town on Friday but that match was cancelled an hour before the players were to take to the field after the South African player’s positive test. That match was re-scheduled and moved to Paarl on Sunday, but that match was cancelled following the positive results in the England camp.
The teams played three Twenty20 internationals without any problems before the Covid-19 outbreak.
“CSA and the ECB will now work together to determine when the three-match series, which forms part of the ICC Cricket Men’s Super League, can take place in the future,” CSA tweeted.
CSA Acting CEO, Kugandrie Govender said: “The concern over the mental health impact of recent events on all involved is not one that we as CSA or the ECB take lightly and the decision to postpone the tour is the most responsible and reasonable course of action for us.”
CSA Acting CEO, Kugandrie Govender said: “The concern over the mental health impact of recent events on all involved is not one that we as CSA or the ECB take lightly and the decision to postpone the tour is the most responsible and reasonable course of action for us.
The Capital Administration has imposed a ban on indoor dining in restaurants and hotels on Tuesday after a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat said the order was issued in pursuant to decisions of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and under the Epidemic Diseases Act. He added that restaurants and hotels will be allowed to serve food in an outdoor setup and takeaway.
The deputy commissioner said all assistant commissioners and subdivisional magistrates would remain in the field to ensure the ban is implemented.
Indoor dining has been restricted in Islamabad. Only take aways and dining outside in open area is allowed. All Assistant Commissioners / Sub Divisional Magistrates are in field ensuring the orders issued under Epidemic Diseases Act in order to prevent further covid infection
