Tag: Coronavirus vaccine

  • Suspense and style: Yasir Nawaz outdoes himself with a blockbuster trailer of Neelam-Ahsan starrer ‘Chakkar’

    Filmmaker Yasir Nawaz has outdone himself as far as aesthetics, scale and filmmaking is concerned, going by the colourful trailer of his forthcoming biggie, Chakkar.

    The trailer for the Neelam Muneer, Ahsan Khan and Yasir Nawaz starrer ‘Chakkar’ has dropped and it’s definitely one that raises numerous questions.

    The scale and the grandeur of the film adds to its cinematic appeal. Neelam’s wardrobe and styling is done appropriately for the feature film’s format. More experiment could have been done with Ahsan’s look. Yasir Nawaz looks impactful in his mysterious role.

    Produced by Nida Yasir and Yasir Nawaz under the Farid Nawaz Productions banner, this multi-starrer narrates the tale of two twin sisters, one of whom (Zara) is deeply entrenched in the world of glitz and glamor, much to the dismay of the other twin’s husband, played by Ahsan. Nawaz’s directorial feat takes an interesting turn when the twins pull a switcheroo, with Khan’s wife taking the place of her twin at shoots while he is away.

    In doing so, she comes face to face with the dramatic upheavals of the industry. This switch is complete with a murder taking place, with the world thinking it is Zara who has been brutally killed. Then the investigation begins in earnest, with numerous suspects at play. However, Khan ends up becoming a prime suspect as well, due to his unfavorable demeanor towards Zara, owing to their interpersonal disagreements.

    The investigation is led by Yasir’s character, and with action scenes inundating the trailer as well, one does develop hints of anticipation towards the eventual release of the film.

    It is set to be released on Eid-ul-Fitr, Chakkar posits itself to be a murder mystery, with all the promise of masala that desi audiences have grown to love.

  • Karachiites ignore Covid-19 protocols, as people head to beaches to beat the heat

    Karachiites ignore Covid-19 protocols, as people head to beaches to beat the heat

    Pakistan has shown great progress in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

    However, Karachiites seemed to have completely ignored the government’s call for maintaining precautions during the third wave. Videos on social media show how crowded the beaches were on the weekend.

    People gathered at the beach to beat the heat. Temperatures regularly hover around 40 degrees and the humidity only makes it worse.

    Pakistan has only fully vaccinated 3.4 million people. The government has asked citizens to avoid crowds and maintain social distancing.

    The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country are 949,175 with positivity rate of 2.6 per cent.

  • Expats protest, demand Pfizer vaccines ‘only’

    Expats protest, demand Pfizer vaccines ‘only’

    Several overseas Pakistanis protested outside the Mass Vaccination Centre at F-9 Park in Islamabad, on Monday. The expats demanded that they should only be administered the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer, reports The Express Tribune.

    The staff present at the vaccination centre stated that they could only administer the vaccine provided by the government which was not what the expats were demanding.

    As a result of this, expats protested by holding placards and demanded that the prime minister should ensure the availability of Pfizer vaccine for them.

    They maintained that Overseas Pakistanis are a source of billions of dollars coming into the country yet they are being humiliated over a vaccine. They demanded a date be announced for them so that they could get vaccinated.

    Earlier, it had issued guidelines that only a limited amount of Pfizer vaccine was available in Pakistan, therefore, only Haj pilgrims and student and work visa holders for foreign countries would be immunised with it.

  • 60,000 vaccinated residents to be allowed to perform Hajj

    60,000 vaccinated residents to be allowed to perform Hajj

    Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday it will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents of the kingdom to perform the annual Hajj.

    The Saudi Hajj Ministry said this year’s pilgrimage would be “open for nationals and residents of the kingdom, limited to 60,000 pilgrims,” according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

    The pilgrimage, scheduled to be held at the end of July, would be limited to those who have been vaccinated and are below 65 years of age with no chronic illnesses.

    It will be the second year in a row that the kingdom will host a reduced number of pilgrims for Hajj amid the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Vaccination registration for ages 30 and above to start from Sunday

    Vaccination registration for ages 30 and above to start from Sunday

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday allowed citizens aged 30 and above to sign up for Covid-19 vaccination from Sunday (May 16).

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar tweeted, “As vaccine supply continues to improve and vaccination capacity gets enhanced in all Federating units, we continue to expand the categories of those who are eligible to get vaccinated.”

    Asad Umar announced that from Sunday, registration will be open to all 30 years and older citizens for Covid-19 vaccine.

    On May 3, Pakistan opened registration for the coronavirus vaccination for people aged between 40 to 49 years across the country.

    Special Assistant to CM Punjab for Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan tweeted that the corona vaccine will be given to the journalist community on a priority basis.

    “The process of vaccinating Punjab journalists will begin after the Eid holidays,” Firdous tweeted.

    A digital portal has been launched by the federal government for the registration through which a code is assigned to the person and then they can go to a designated vaccination centre and get a jab.

  • Adnan Siddiqui’s ‘vote is with the vaccine’

    Adnan Siddiqui’s ‘vote is with the vaccine’

    Adnan Siddiqui has gotten vaccinated!

    The actor shared a video of himself getting his first dose at the Arts Council in Karachi and urged everyone to get their shot too in order to beat COVID-19.

    “Finally got the jab,” said Adnan. “It’s a huge relief. Honestly, I was a bit jittery in the beginning. Because of the needle, of course! No matter how young or old are you, this is one thing that petrifies you every time.”

    Sharing that he too like others was initially skeptical of the vaccine, Siddiqui said: “Yes, I also read those sporadic reports of after effects of the vaccine, which have made people wary. I had my share of doubts too.”

    The actor said that he decided to get the vaccine after consulting his friend, who is a doctor.

    “By Allah’s grace, I am feeling perfectly fine,” said Adnan urging everyone to get their shot.

    “The onus to combat the pandemic is on us. Those who are sceptical of whether to go ahead with the vaccine or not, as someone who’s got inoculated recently, my vote is with the vaccination,” asserted Siddiqui. He also advised everyone to “consult your personal doctor, specially those who are on medication or are immuno compromised” before getting the jab.

    While Adnan did not specify which vaccine he got, the hashtags he used indicate that he got China’s Sinopharm which is being administered through the government’s vaccination drive.

    Meanwhile, the vaccination drive in Pakistan is in full swing. Vaccinations of people 60 and above commenced on March 10, while those above 50 will start receiving their vaccine this week from April 21. The government has also planned to open registrations for COVID-19 vaccination for citizens of all age groups after Eid, which is around mid-May. According to details, Pakistan will be able to vaccinate more than 125,000 people per day after Eid.

    If you are eligible and have not yet registered for the vaccine send your CNIC number to 1166 to get registered asap.

  • Iffat Omar promises to get 10 people vaccinated

    Iffat Omar promises to get 10 people vaccinated

    Iffat Omar has promised to get 10 people vaccinated after jumping queue to get vaccinated herself at Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema’s residence in Lahore. The model-turned-actor also admitted her fault and apologised for her actions after receiving a barrage of criticism and backlash.

    Responding to a social media user, Omar said that not only will she forgo the second dose, but she will also get 10 people vaccinated.

    When the user told her why he was angry over her actions, Omar said: “I regret and [am] really ashamed but I will fix it.”

    “Please accept my forgiveness,” she added.

    The model further made her intentions clear by responding to other users and asserting that she will get 10 deserving people vaccinated against the virus.

    Omar had come in the line of fire after a video of hers receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at Cheema’s residence went viral on social media with netizens accusing her of jumping the queue to get vaccinated when more deserving citizens still have to wait. At the time, only those aged 60 and above could avail the free vaccine under the government drive, while those aged 50 could get registered for a shot and there was no commercially available vaccine against the coronavirus in Pakistan.

    The minister had initially denied accusations of jumping queue and claimed that a team from the University of Health Sciences (UHS) had arrived at his residence to administer a ‘booster shot’ of a ‘trial vaccine’.

    The minister said the same team had earlier administered the first dose of the trial vaccine to his family at their residence.

    Meanwhile, Omar at that time had told people to “take it easy”.

    In a now-deleted tweet, the model had said that she received a booster shot of the Chinese vaccine CanSino. However, Pakistani Twitterati had called her out on the claim, pointing out that CanSino was a single-dose vaccine and does not require a booster shot.

  • ‘Increase the price or it’s going somewhere else’ threatens vaccine importer

    ‘Increase the price or it’s going somewhere else’ threatens vaccine importer

    Rs 8,449 not enough for the vaccine, says the importer of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and is threatening to “re-export” the 50,000 doses it brought to Pakistan. Officials say that the importer is saying that they can send the vaccine to ‘another country’ if the importer’s desired price is not set by the government.

    “The drug pricing committee of DRAP (Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan had recommended Rs8,449 for two doses of the vaccine, which is not acceptable to the importer,” an anonymous official of the federal government told news network, Geo News .

    RELATED: Fake COVID-19 reports, vaccines being sold on darkweb

    “The government is already under harsh criticism for the price recommended by DRAP’s pricing committee at Rs8,449. It was calculated on the basis of a landing cost of $30 but people are comparing it with the cost of the Russian vaccine in India and criticising the government for fixing higher price as compared to the neighbouring country,” the official stated.

    A representative of AGP Limited, the importer of the vaccine, said that they had the “option of re-exporting” the vaccine shipment or selling it to another country where they can get a much higher price.

    RELATED: ‘Govt does not plan to buy vaccines anytime soon’

    “The government’s price of Rs8,449 is not affordable for us because in addition to landing cost, there is distributor margin, storage and transportation costs, and hospitals and institutions will also take their service charges,” an official of the company clarified, also adding that if the didn’t send the vaccine back, there were ‘other options’ available too.

    “We are going to wait for a couple of days to resolve this issue but it is already over a week now and the shipment is [stored needlessly] at the cold storage. It could have been used by now to vaccinate at least 25,000 people who could afford to get it, as for millions, government’s vaccine is not available,” the official said to Geo News.

    Government officials had earlier said that AGP wants a retail price between Rs. 12,500-13,000 for two doses of their vaccine based on their expenses for procuring and delivering the vaccine but DRAP is unwilling to review its decision, since they say the recommended price of Rs. 8449 is fair.

  • ‘Get vaccinated at your own risk,’ Punjab health minister tells people

    ‘Get vaccinated at your own risk,’ Punjab health minister tells people

    As Pakistan is all set to kick off its vaccination campaign, Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid has implied that the government won’t be responsible for the potential adverse effects of the coronavirus vaccines.

    According to The News, due to the reported side effects of the vaccines, the minister told people to get the vaccine at their own risk. “We will make the public aware of the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine,” she added while addressing a press conference in Lahore.

    “Although research on corona is still going on all around the world, news of deaths of some COVID-19 vaccine recipients in certain parts of the world is disturbing,” she was quoted by the news outlet as saying.

    The minister said that the vaccination campaign in Punjab will start tomorrow. “We have been conveyed by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) that all chief ministers shall simultaneously inaugurate a vaccination drive in their respective provinces,” she added.

    At least 11 people lost lives due to coronavirus while over 400 tested positive on Monday, the minister said, adding that there was lockdown in 18 areas in Lahore. Some areas in Gujranwala, Gujrat and other cities were also under lockdown and movement of 5,634 people was restricted, she disclosed.

  • Reema gets her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

    Reema gets her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

    Reema Khan has received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the US.

    Taking to Instagram, Reema shared a video of herself getting the first shot. When asked that how is she feeling, Reema replied: “I’m fine.”

    “Finally got the first COVID-19 vaccine dose,” she captioned the post.

    Earlier, the film star also shared a video in which she said that she is going to get her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and prayed that the vaccine is available in Pakistan soon.

    “This is very important,” she said.

    In the video, she also urged her followers to get vaccinated, not only for themselves, but for their loved ones as well.

    Meanwhile, Imran Abbas lauded Reema for getting the vaccine, calling her a “pioneer”.

    Reema lives in Washington DC with her husband Dr Tariq Shahab and son Ali Shahab. Due to coronavirus lockdown, Reema and her son were stuck in Pakistan. As soon as flight operations resumed, the two flew back to the USA in August.

    According to Reuters, the first vaccine was administered in the United States in mid-December. Since then till the filing of this report, nearly 12.3 million doses have been given, out of 31.2 million doses distributed. The total includes 1.6 million people who have received both doses.