Tag: COVID-19 pandemic

  • Indian couple exchange wedding garlands using bamboo sticks to maintain social distancing

    Indian couple exchange wedding garlands using bamboo sticks to maintain social distancing

    An Indian couple from Chhattisgrah recently got married while maintaining a distance of six feet between themselves. The viral video shows the couple exchanging wedding garlands using bamboo sticks to practice social distancing.

    The video was shared on Twitter by the additional transport commissioner of Chhattisgarh Dipanshu Kabra.

    Meanwhile, this is not the only wedding to take place in India as COVID-19 ravages the country. Earlier, a couple also tied the knot in PPE after the groom tested positive for the virus.

    Read more – Indian man turns rickshaw into oxygen-equipped ambulance, serves people for free

    India is currently battling with second wave of COVID 19 reporting total 2,14,85,285 and 2,34,071 deaths so far.

  • Pakistan to receive first shipment of Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine this week

    Pakistan is expected to receive its first shipment of the Oxford-Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine by the end of this week under the COVAX program, Arab News has reported. The COVAX program is a global initiative to provide vaccines to countries lacking resources to procure or manufacture the vaccines on their own. 

    Quoting a top government official, the report said that Pakistan will receive the first shipment of 1.2 million doses of Oxford-Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine on Friday.

    Through the COVAX vaccine facility, Pakistan has planned to vaccinate 20% of its population free of charge.

    As per, Rana Muhammad Safdar, director-general health at the Ministry of National Health Services, the first shipment will arrive from South Korea on May 7.

    “We are committed to vaccinating our maximum population as quickly as possible,” asserted Safdar.

    Pakistan’s vaccination drive began on March 10 with priority given to healthcare workers and senior citizens above 60. Later, vaccinations for those aged 50-59 were started on April 21. Meanwhile, registration for ages 40-49 started on April 27. You can register yourself by sending your CNIC number to 1166. Walk-in vaccinations are available for those aged 50 and above. As per the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), more than 2.5 million people have been vaccinated till now.

    Pakistan is experiencing a deadly third wave of Covid-19, with the positivity rate at an all-time high. According to the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), 3377 cases and 161 deaths were recorded in the country in the last 24 hours.

  • COVID-19 oral pill could be ready by year-end, says Pfizer CEO

    COVID-19 oral pill could be ready by year-end, says Pfizer CEO

    US-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Bourla has said that the company’s anti-viral oral pill for coronavirus is in early-stage trials and could be ready by the end of the year.

    According to reports, the company, which developed the first authorised COVID-19 vaccine in the US with German drugmaker BioNTech, began an early-stage clinical trial for testing a new antiviral therapy for Covid-19 in March.

    The medication is part of a class of medicines called protease inhibitors and works by inhibiting an enzyme that the virus needs to replicate in human cells.

    Read more – Cleric believes COVID vaccine makes people ‘gay’

    “If clinical trials go well and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves it, the drug could be distributed across the US by the end of the year,” Bourla told CNBC.

    Protease inhibitors are used to treat other viral pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis C, the report said.

    Last month, the pharmaceutical giant asked the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for its Covid-19 vaccine to include children ages 12 to 15.

    The request to expand emergency use comes just days after Pfizer released data demonstrating its vaccine was 100 per cent effective and well-tolerated by the younger group.

    Pfizer is also working on its vaccine for 6-month to 11-year-old children.

    A recent study, published in the journal Science, showed that a single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines against Covid may boost immunity against the Covid-19 variants, only in people who were previously infected with the deadly virus.

    In people who have not previously been infected and have so far only received one dose of vaccine, the immune response to variants of concern may be insufficient, the study indicated.

  • Indian man turns rickshaw into oxygen-equipped ambulance, serves people for free

    Indian man turns rickshaw into oxygen-equipped ambulance, serves people for free

    An Indian auto-rickshaw driver in Bhopal has converted his vehicle into an ambulance to help take people to the hospital for free. 

    According to reports, Javed’s rickshaw turned ambulance has been equipped with an oxygen cylinder, sanitizers, and other medicines to help COVID-19 patients.

    India has reported the maximum number of deaths in the past few days amid a surging second wave as people are helpless in saving the lives of their loved ones infected with the virus.

    34-year-old Javed Khan explained how he was traumatized by the plight of the people, who were not even able to get ambulances on their way to the hospital. 

     “I saw on social media and news channels how people were being carried to hospitals due to the shortage of ambulance. So I thought of doing this,” said Javed, while speaking to ANI.  

    He said he discussed the situation with his family who suggested him to convert his auto into an ambulance.

    Read more – Bollywood stars step in to support India’s battle against COVID

    However, due to the lack of resources, he had to sell his wife’s jewelry to finance the additions to his auto. 

    “I sold my wife’s jewelry for this. I queue up outside a refill center and get oxygen,” said Javed. “My contact number is available on social media. People can call me up if there’s no ambulance. I’ve been doing this for 15-20 days now and have taken nine serious patients to the hospital.”

  • South African, Brazilian variant of COVID-19 detected in Karachi

    Minister for Health and Population Welfare Sindh Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho has alerted citizens that the South African and Brazilian variant of COVID-19 has been detected in samples taken by the Agha Khan University (AKU).

    In a video message, the minister said: “13 samples were studied yesterday in Agha Khan University Hospital. 10 UK, two African and a Brazilian variant were found.”

    Dr Pechuho further said that South African and Brazilian variants have a high fatality rate and that these variants are not vaccine responsive.

    The doctor warned that those infected with these new found variants can get severely ill.

    She further urged people to stay indoors, avoid gatherings and Eid shopping.

    The minister also added that if citizen continue with such carelessness, hospitals and medical centres will be overburdened as “we have seen in India”. She added that if the virus begins to spread, it will become difficult to control it.

    Last year in December, Pakistan reported three cases of the new strain of coronavirus that first emerged in the United Kingdom, prompting countries to ban travel with the UK.

    Pakistan is experiencing a deadly third wave of Covid-19, with the positivity rate at an all-time high. According to the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), 5112 cases and 131 deaths were recorded in the country in the last 24 hours.

  • Sana Mir praises Yasmin Rashid’s dedication towards duty while battling cancer

    Sana Mir praises Yasmin Rashid’s dedication towards duty while battling cancer

    Former captain of the Pakistan Women Cricket Team Sana Mir has praised Punjab Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid for her dedication towards her duty, despite being a cancer patient.

    “Huge respect for Dr Yasmin Rashid for her commitment to her responsibility. This is true leadership and service. Both my parents and so many elders got their vaccination from Lahore and the arrangements were very good,” wrote Mir on Twitter.

    “May you get complete shifa,” she prayed.

    Dr Yasmin Rashid underwent breast cancer surgery at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in December last year. As per reports, the surgery was successful and she is currently recovering from the disease.

    After pictures of Dr Rashid looking weak and unwell recently went viral on social media, users are praising her for working tirelessly to deal with the COVID-19 emergency in Punjab and thanked her for her efforts. They also prayed for the minister’s swift recovery.

    https://twitter.com/wakeelshb/status/1387446537375059971?s=19
    https://twitter.com/OsamaBolo/status/1387612229822976005?s=19

    Pakistan is currently battling a deadly third wave of COVID-19. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan has recorded 151 deaths and 5480 positive cases in the last 24 hours with a positivity ratio of 9.61 percent.

    Meanwhile, it is also being reported that cities with high positivity ratios would be put under complete lockdown to control the spread of the disease.

    Yasmin Rashid took to Twitter to thank the people for their wishes. “I want to thank each one of you for your kind words of support. Jazakallah kher. They mean a lot,” she wrote.

    Later, in another tweet, Dr Yasmin Rashid thanked everyone for the love and prayers, saying: “For all the love and prayers pouring on my Time Line, I am humbled and grateful.”

    “In sha Allah I will continue to fulfil my duties to the best of my abilities,” she added.

    Speaking about the healthcare facilities, she said: “The turnaround of better public healthcare is already taking place and In sha Allah we will ensure it’s completion.”

  • Asim Azhar urges students to sit home, cancel parties after exams postponed

    Asim Azhar, who had backed students on multiple occasions and rallied for their exams to be cancelled, has now urged them to cancel all parties and get-togethers and sit home till COVID ends. The Federal Government on Tuesday had announced that all exams have been cancelled till June 15 in view of rising coronavirus cases.

    “Mubarak bacho,” wrote Asim, after the news of the cancellation came.

    “Ab khuda ka waasta hai parties aur get togethers bhi cancel karna apne aur ghar baithna until we’re done with COVID,” he added.

    Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood on Tuesday had announced that no examinations will take place in the country until June 15 and that O’ and A’ Level exams will now take place in the October-November cycle. Students had long been demanding the government to cancel exams arguing that their study schedules had been disrupted due to COVID-19 and that they had been unable to prepare for the exams.

    Other celebrities including Mehwish Hayat, Adnan Siddiqui and Falak Shabir also appreciated the government’s decision to cancel exams.

    Meanwhile, Aijaz Aslam is disappointed that government is not considering the option of grade assessment.

    “What a mess this examination process has become,” remarked the actor.

    After the cancellation of exams, students are now demanding Teacher and School Assessed Grades with the hashtags #ShafqatDestroysOurCareer and #ResignShafqatMahmood trending on social media. Students are arguing that their study schedules have been disrupted because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and are demanding Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs) and School Assessed Grades (SAGs).

  • Govt cancels all exams until June 15

    In lieu of rising cases of COVID-19 Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood on Tuesday announced that no examinations will take place in the country until June 15.

    “O’ and A’ Level exams have been cancelled and will now take place in the October-November cycle,” said the minister in an announcement.

    “Exams of Classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 which were supposed to begin from the end of May have been delayed further,” added the minister. “No board exams will be held till mid-June (June 15).”

    He also added that another meeting of the NCOC will decide in the third week of May to decide whether these exams will be postponed further or not.

    The minister also took time to answer the questions of students :

    #ImranKhanCancelExams and #ImranKhanJawabDou were among the top trends on Twitter from the past few days as National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and the Government of Pakistan refused to cancel this year’s O’ and A’ Level exams and went on to take the exams as scheduled.

    Pakistan is currently experiencing a deadly third wave of COVID-19 with fears of an India-like situation and students argued that the exams not only pose a risk to their health but they have also been unable to prepare for them because of school closures. The high courts in Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi also dismissed students petitions.

  • FIR registered against KP health minister for violating COVID SOPs

    A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra under Sections 6 to 17 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Epidemic Control and Emergency Relief Act 2020 for violating COVID-19 protocols, Dawn News has reported.

    As per details, Minister Jhagra attended an iftar party at a local restaurant in Peshawar, where dine-in at restaurants has been banned by authorities amid a sharp surge in COVID cases in the province. In addition to that, no COVID-related SOPs were followed at the gathering.

    The owner and manager have also been booked for hosting the aftar party on the premises.

    Peshawar Assistant Commissioner Ehteshamul Haq while talking to Dawn said that the administration took timely action after pictures of the iftar were shared on social media.

    “There will not be any kind of compromise on coronavirus SOPs. If SOPs are violated, the law will come into action,” added the official.

    Read more –The deadly COVID-19 third wave

    The restaurant was also sealed after the pictures of the iftar party went viral on social media.

    The development comes as Pakistan continues to struggle in its war against COVID-19. Over 5,000 new cases with at least 145 death were reported in the past 24 hours alone. The infections tally stands past 0.8 million.

  • IN PICTURES: Fahad Mirza celebrates birthday sans social distancing

    While a pandemic rages across the country, our celebrities appear to live in another dimension.

    Fahad Mirza recently celebrated his 40th birthday in an extravagant party that saw several celebs including Mirza’s wife Sarwat Gilani, Zeba Bakhtiar, Sheheryar Munawar, Frieha Altaf, and Mansha Pasha in attendance. Besides the birthday celebrations, there was also a qawwali performance by Fareed Ayaz. However, what was missing was social distancing, masks, and other COVID-19 protocols.

    Fahad Mirza

    Shaharyar Munawar and Sarwat Gillani
    Fahad Mirza
    Fahad Mirza and Sarwat Gillani
    Fahad Mirza
    Fahad Mirza
    Birthday Party
    Birthday Party
    Birthday Party of Fahad Mirza

    Meanwhile, Frieha defended the celebrations, saying “”First of all, it was a very small gathering and it was on an open rooftop it was also Fahad’s 40th birthday. All SOPs were followed, there were masks, temperature checks at the gate and I believe most of the guests already vaccinated or had antibodies,”

    Speaking to The Express Tribune, the model-actor said: “The only time anyone took off the mask was to take a picture. I think when people see pictures and videos they end up assuming the worst.”