Tag: coronavirus

  • US could have saved trillions had it handled COVID-19 like Pakistan: American economist

    Economist and the former United States (US) Treasury secretary, Lawrence H Summers, while admiring Pakistan’s COVID-19 pandemic strategy, has said that Washington could have saved trillions had it handled the outbreak like Islamabad.

    In a conversation with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, he said, “America’s failure on COVID-19 is almost unimaginable. Heck, if the US had handled the pandemic as well as Pakistan, we would have saved in the neighbourhood of $10 trillion.”

    “The costs of an expanded testing system are trivial compared to the costs of tens of thousands of early deaths. Expanding testing should be a matter of utmost urgency,” tweeted.

    The US has recorded more than 8.35 million cases, 224,389 deaths, and over five million recoveries from the virus. US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump also tested positive for coronavirus on October 2.

  • Children’s book ‘Little Master’ aims to bust COVID-19 misconceptions

    Children’s book ‘Little Master’ aims to bust COVID-19 misconceptions

    While the pandemic – better known as COVID-19 – made us realise the helplessness of the human species in the face of nature, its wave that smit Pakistan did a lot more than just exposing a disease’s deadliness. From repulsive misogynistic ideologies to conservative religious views, Pakistanis not only tried their best to reach the root cause of the virus, but also endeavoured to invent its cures not proven medically authentic or even healthy for that matter.

    Observing these rambling and disoriented thought-processes in which Pakistanis remained engaged all the while during coronavirus’s heydays, Muhammad Faheem from Mehrdar Art and Production approached screenplay writer, Inam Hasan to pen a comic story-book, which, published by ILM O ADAB, would address the misconceptions that are not only blindly accepted by adults but are also blatantly inculcated among the children without any fact-checking. This comic storybook written by Hasan and illustrated by Umair Najeeb Khan is titled Little Master.

    Talking to The Current, the writer, who has also penned several drama serials for HUM TV, said, “The story has been set in a simulation of Lyari, for with the city expanding rapidly, there are many such areas that are growing more and more aloof from the main city and are therefore becoming a target of the government’s negligence. This team which has initiated this idea of conveying messages through story-telling has been doing community work in Lyari for many years, and it is genuinely concerned for those underprivileged people whose children are also a part of the future generation but are not attended to. Therefore, we made a child our main character, whose name is Ahmad and whose mother is a nurse. He also has a Head Master as his ideal. The purpose of showing a child being surrounded by educated people and thus learning and imparting sensible things was to tell people to listen to teachers and to medical or paramedical staff who gain the first-hand experience of situations and are therefore reliable sources.”

    In order to draw a comparison between the literate and the illiterate, the writer has also developed characters like Naseehat Khala, a type commonly found across Pakistan whose sole objective in life is to give unasked for advices to everyone, regardless of whether they are practical or not.

    “Then there is Baba Chul, an irritating old man and a Chacha Chewing Gum who beats about the bush and doesn’t come to the point,” the writer said. “The purpose of introducing all of these characters was to teach people that they should say what is pleasing, precise and practical.”

    https://www.facebook.com/Humsubsaathpk/posts/148923586891798

    Coming towards the structure of the book, it is divided into 5 to 6 chapters, each dealing with an aspect of COVID-19 with respect to how it has been perceived and treated by Pakistanis. From misinformation and conspiracy theories to the hoarding of necessities that took place in this country while people were already starving due to the lockdown, the chapters try to address every single problem that arose. The writer also shared that in order to make it enjoyable, rhyme schemes have been employed in the story which will also serve the purpose of making children remember useful information.

    When asked about the distribution of the book, The Current was told that the book was launched on October 7, but the purpose of launching it has not been to sell it and gain monetary benefit out of it. It is meant to be distributed among the neglected schools in Karachi which are operating at small scale levels and the students of which do not have access to reliable information. For others, the story is also available on the community page on Facebook known as Hum Sab Sath Corona Ke Khilaf.

  • WHO fears spike in deaths after COVID-19 cases surge

    WHO fears spike in deaths after COVID-19 cases surge

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned against any complacency in the coronavirus death rate, saying with the increasing number of cases, the death rate would also increase.

    New cases are hitting 100,000 daily in Europe. Nearly 20,000 infections were reported in Britain, while Italy, Switzerland and Russia were among nations with record case numbers.

    While deaths globally have fallen to around 5,000 per day from April’s peak exceeding 7,500, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said caseloads were rising in ICU (intensive care units).

    “Mortality increases always lag behind increasing cases by a couple of weeks,” Swaminathan said during a WHO social media event. “We shouldn’t be complacent that death rates are coming down.”

    More than 38 million people have been reported infected globally and 1.1 million have died.

    Despite the global push for a COVID-19 vaccine, with dozens in clinical trials and hopes for initial vaccinations this year, Swaminathan reiterated that speedy, mass shots were unlikely.

    “Most people agree, it’s starting with health care workers, and front-line workers, but even there, you need to define which of them are at highest risk, and then the elderly, and so on,” Swaminathan said.

    “A healthy young person might have to wait until 2022.”

    The WHO has said letting infection spread in hopes of achieving “herd immunity” is unethical and would cause unnecessary deaths. It urges hand-washing, social distancing, masks and — when unavoidable, limited and targeted restrictions on movements — to control disease spread.

    “People talk about herd immunity. We should only talk about it in the context of a vaccine,” Swaminathan said. “You need to vaccinate at least 70% of people … to really break transmission.”

    Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, who also chairs the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to deal with COVID-19 in the country, has highlighted the rise in the number of infections in Pakistan. The Minister urged people to take COVID-19 SOPs seriously.

  • Ahead of Maryam’s jalsa, FIRs registered in Gujranwala for violating coronavirus SOPs

    Ahead of Maryam’s jalsa, FIRs registered in Gujranwala for violating coronavirus SOPs

    Over 100 people, including internet service providers, sound system organisers and residents holding corner meetings, have been named in at least seven FIRs [First Information Reports] at different police stations across Gujranwala for violating coronavirus guidelines ahead of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz’s jalsa.

    The daughter of former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif is due to hold a public gathering in the city on October 16 as part of the joint opposition’s anti-government campaign. She is expected to be joined by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as well in what is expected to be a mammoth power show by opposition parties.

    While PM Imran Khan has reportedly given permission to the opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for holding its protest rallies that are expected to feature fiery speeches against the government and security establishment as it puts forward 26 demands, including the resignation of the premier, sources claim that authorities concerned are springing into action in this regard.

    “After Federal Minister Sheikh Rasheed’s warning that the next few months could be critical in terms of internal security and any prominent personal could suffer an attempt on his or her life, coronavirus is being used as a reason to bar the opposition from protesting against the government,” they alleged.

    However, according to the police, the people named in the aforementioned FIRs had not been following coronavirus SOPs, especially social distancing rules.

    “Residents have to submit a request for an NOC [no-objection certificate] before holding gatherings,” a police officer said, adding that Gujranwala’s chief police officer had instructed the police to ensure strict implementation of COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the city.

    “The government has been cracking down on restaurants and other public spaces across the country for violation of SOPs since the number of cases in Pakistan spiked again in September,” he said.

    NEW COVID-19 RULES:

    Earlier in the day, it was also reported that the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has said public gatherings should preferably be avoided and those that are held, their duration should not exceed for more than three hours.

    Interestingly, the NCOC made it clear that the guidelines were not for wedding events or sports ones as separate SOPs had been issued for the former and for the latter, will be released soon.

    The NCOC defined a public gathering as an event “where people are assembled on any given space; indoor or outdoor, for some purpose such as cultural events, religious gatherings, sports events, entertainment/cultural events, parties, political gatherings or other similar events”. 

    The following public gatherings will have to follow the newly issued guidelines: 

    • Entertainment/Cultural Gatherings

    • Public gatherings of Unions/Associations or any such group

    • Religious gatherings

    • Political gatherings

    • Family gatherings

    • Civil society group gatherings

    • Sports related gatherings (SOPs to be issued separately)

    • Marriage (being a frequent & obligatory activity) has been excluded from the list and a separate list of SOPs comprising strict restrictions has already been issued for it

    A day earlier, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) had warned that a second coronavirus wave could hit the country this winter. 

    The PMC warned authorities and the general public about the foreseeable second spike of coronavirus, saying that it is likely to start from educational institutions as it happened in the United States (US), India and Iran.

  • US man gets COVID-19 twice with a severe second infection

    US man gets COVID-19 twice with a severe second infection

    A man from the US state of Nevada has caught COVID-19 twice with the second hit more serious.

    According to the details, the 25-year-old, had no known health conditions or immune problems that would have made him particularly vulnerable.

    Doctors said the man needed hospital treatment after his lungs weakened during the second infection, which was much worse than the first.

    According to the study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, the man experienced initial symptoms – a sore throat, cough, headache, nausea and diarrhoea on 25 March.

    He tested positive for the first time on 18 April and his symptoms were resolved by 27 April.

    On 9 and 26 May he tested negative on two occasions, but he developed symptoms again on May 28 including fever, headache, dizziness, cough, nausea and diarrhoea.

    On 5 June, he tested positive for the second time and went on to suffer low blood oxygen and shortness of breath.

    Scientists said that the genetic codes of the two illnesses were different, meaning it was not a case of the first infection being dormant and then reappearing.

    The study said the case was the first known COVID-19 reinfection in North America, with other single cases reported in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Ecuador, and Belgium.

    The patients in those places showed no increase in symptom severity the second time, with the exception of the patient in Ecuador.

    It is unclear what had caused the second infection in Nevada.

    The study suggested one possibility was a “very high dose of virus (which) might have led to the second time infection and induced a more severe disease”.

    Another suggestion was that reinfection was caused by a “version of the virus that was more virulent, or more virulent in this patient’s context”.

    A third possibility was a “mechanism of antibody-dependent enhancement… a means by which specific Fc-bearing immune cells become infected with virus by binding to specific antibodies”.

    The study’s authors said: “Previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 might not guarantee total immunity in all cases.

    “All individuals, whether previously diagnosed with COVID-19 or not, should take identical precautions to avoid infection with SARS-CoV-2.

    “The implications of reinfections could be relevant for vaccine development and application.”

    Reinfections also have implications for concepts such as herd immunity.

    It had been assumed that the body would learn to fight the virus during an initial infection, meaning that later infections would be minor or even without symptoms.

  • Sheikh Rasheed foresees ‘assassination of some prominent personality’

    Sheikh Rasheed foresees ‘assassination of some prominent personality’

    Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed has made headlines for reportedly saying that anything can happen over the next four months, including an attempt on his life or that of some other prominent person.

    “Anything can happen within the next four months… February 20 is the date… everything will be sorted…” reports quoted Rasheed as saying.

    “Some terrorist attack could happen, coronavirus could spread again, the [Pakistan] People’s Party (PPP) could break away from the [opposition] alliance, I could get killed or so could some other prominent person,” the minister reportedly said, adding that if something of the sort happens, it could lead to a civil war in the country.

    “Plans to ignite a sectarian fire were foiled when law enforcement acted promptly ahead Chehlum of martyrs of Karbala last week as well,” he said.

    The minister also spoke at length about the possibility of a terrorist attack and how every person’s life was in danger.

    The minister’s statement comes while investigators remain clueless about the perpetrators of the high-profile targeted killing of prominent religious scholar Maulana Adil Khan, who along with his driver, was shot dead in Karachi on Saturday.

    According to police, the scholar was sitting in a Toyota Vigo parked outside Shama Shopping Centre when suspects on motorcycles came up to him and opened fire. He succumbed to the wounds on his way to the hospital.

    While authorities claim foreign powers were at play, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has described it as “an attempt by India to create sectarian conflict across the country”.

    The premier, while strongly condemning the targeted killing of Maulana Adil of Jamia Farooqia in Karachi, said that India is attempting to target religious scholars to fan sectarian rift in the country.

    In a series of tweets on Sunday, he stressed upon the religious scholars from all sects to ensure that people do not fall prey to nefarious Indian designs to destabilise Pakistan by fuelling a sectarian conflict.

    “We have prevented a number of such attempts pre-emptively in the last few months. Our intelligence organisations and law enforcement agencies will nab culprits of this murder also,” he said.

  • COVID-19: Experts say mental illnesses on the rise in Pakistan

    COVID-19: Experts say mental illnesses on the rise in Pakistan

    With many people now reporting symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive equivalents, and anxiety, coronavirus has started affecting the mental health of people, including healthcare providers in Pakistan and the rest of the world.

    According to the details, an increasing rate of abuse is also being witnessed in the world, including Pakistan. However, the situation is worse in war-torn countries like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Afghanistan.

    Speaking at an international conference on “Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access. Everyone, Everywhere” at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), mental health experts from Pakistan and other parts of the world said that the countries with a serious economic crisis like Pakistan have been also badly affected by mental health issues during the pandemic.

    The chief guest, Professor Haroon Ahmed said coronavirus had started affecting the mental health of people all over the world, and in Pakistan people with a newer type of depression and symptoms of PTSD were approaching psychiatrists for treatment.

    “People are complaining of symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to COVID-19- related stress and experiences. A newer type of depression, which is not clinically depressed, is also being observed where people are feeling lonely and [exhibiting] a lack of interest in daily life. These issues have a close relation to COVID-19 and its impacts on the daily life of people.”

    Professor Haroon said that he was glad that people are now breaking taboos and openly admitting that they are under treatment for depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. He noted that an estimated 70% of depression is due to a biochemical imbalance in the brain, which is not the fault of the patient.

    “I have been saying this for the last several decades that there is no need to hide mental illnesses,” he said and added that mental health was given low importance but it was a high prevalence health issue in our society.

    Meanwhile, president-elect WPA Professor Afzal Javed claimed that the prevalence of mental health issues was not less than cancer or cardiac ailments in the world, and it was estimated that now 25 to 30% of the world’s population was suffering from some kind of mental illness.

    It’s right time to assign more resources for mental well-being, treatment, and cure in countries like Pakistan, he added.

  • COVID-19: Five more educational institutions sealed in Islamabad

    Five more educational institutions have been shut down in Islamabad after cases of coronavirus emerged there, as experts have already warned of a second wave of the virus during winter.

    As per reports, the notification to seal educational institutions was issued by the district health officer and a circular has also been released to seal the concerned departments of Namal University due to a surge in coronavirus cases.

    The circular stated that two virus cases have been reported in Islamabad Model School in G-6/1-3 and two cases were also reported in a private school in the city’s G-11/4 area.

    Two cases each have been reported in two private colleges at H-8/1 and H-8/4, as per the circular.

    Furthermore, 15 coronavirus cases have also been reported in a private school in I-9/3.

    The affected educational institutes have been directed to disinfect their buildings after closing their locality.

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, also suggested that political parties should postpone rallies and processions for three months amid fears of a second Covid-19 wave in the country.

    Earlier today, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for marriage halls as cases of the pandemic continue to increase across the country.

  • British-Pakistani millionaire and owner of 61 Papa John’s franchises involved in fraud?

    British-Pakistani millionaire and owner of 61 Papa John’s franchises involved in fraud?

    A multi-millionaire British-Pakistani owner of the Papa John’s restaurants in the United Kingdom (UK) has denied allegations that he took more than £250,000 of taxpayers’ money in cash by claiming fake ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ meals during the British government scheme that lasted for five weeks from August to September.

    Eat Out to Help Out aimed to help protect the jobs of 1.8 million employees in the hospitality industry by encouraging people to return to local eateries in times of COVID-19.

    A British daily, the Daily Mail, had alleged that Raheel Choudhary, who owns 61 Papa John’s franchise restaurants across the UK, instructed staff to record thousands of fake ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ entries while the government scheme — funded by the taxpayers — was running.

    Originally from Lahore, the self-made millionaire is the largest UK franchisee of the United States’ (US) pizza giant. He has been hailed as a success story and the poster boy of the famous pizza chain for his hard work that took him from working with his dad in a laundrette to becoming a franchisee giant.

    Choudhary currently employs above 800 people in his business and didn’t lay off any staff member during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Papa John’s said it has launched a probe into the franchise owner over allegations regarding the Eat To Help Out discount deal. It has been alleged that Choudhary’s most restaurants were takeaway or delivery only, hence there were no seatings available.

    The paper alleged that most of Choudhary’s restaurants were not eligible for the offer – which required diners to eat in – because they were collection and delivery joints only, and that Choudhary promised his managers bonuses for putting in large numbers of fake orders, Geo reported.

    “Like so many industries this year, hospitality has been hit hard by coronavirus restrictions. Of my 61 franchises, 40 have seating capacity and we implemented the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme in all of those 40 stores from Monday to Wednesday throughout August. All customers who benefited from the scheme ate in stores and we are confident that we were fully compliant with the criteria set by the UK government. Total sales from the scheme accounted for 6% of our August turnover,” the report quoted Choudhary as saying.

    “When the government’s scheme ended, we followed up with our discount offer in September. We are pleased that customers have been able to take advantage of these opportunities to make savings at a difficult time, and we are determined to continue offering customers the best deals possible”.

    He said that the claims published in some right-wing press were not true as additional seating was added to 10 of the venues throughout August to support demand for the ‘Eat Out’ scheme.

    He explained that the paper published false information as the value of the Eat Out claim vouchers was £185,015, not £250,000 equating to 32 claims per day for each of the participating stores, and added that the paper focused on his Tunbridge Wells restaurant where the total claim for 13 days was £6,825.00 (daily average value of £525.00) with additional seating placed in an adjacent unit in addition to the waiting bench in the 1,500 sq feet main store.

    Choudhary, who continues to deny the allegations that he misused the scheme, says that Papa John’s was investigating the allegations and “we are cooperating fully with the investigators”.

  • NIH warns rapid spread of COVID-19 in winter

    NIH warns rapid spread of COVID-19 in winter

    The National Institute of Health (NIH) has advised health authorities to declare high alert due to the likelihood of speedy spread of seven diseases including COVID -19 during the winter season.

    In an advisory called Seasonal Awareness and Alert Letter (Saal) it has been informed that the diseases such as COVID-19, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus, dengue fever, diphtheria, pertussis, seasonal flu and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid can spread rapidly from October to February.

    According to a statement issued by the NIH, the main goal of SAAL is to aware all the health authorities and professionals concerned at all levels for a timely and effective response to the diseases.

    “Based on last five-year data, NIH recommends for all federal, provincial and district health departments to keep a continuous observation and watch on the anticipated seasonal public health threats and taking of all preventive or curative measures in this context,” it states.

    Due to the ongoing pandemic situation, NIH is facilitating testing and capacity building services for all educational, economic, administrative and local institutions at Islamabad along with technical advice and support.

    The necessary technical guidelines and awareness material regarding infectious diseases are also available at the NIH website: www.nih.org.pk