Tag: COVID-19 pandemic

  • COVID-19: Punjab to impose lockdown in districts with over 12% positivity rate

    COVID-19: Punjab to impose lockdown in districts with over 12% positivity rate

    The Punjab government has decided to impose lockdowns in districts with a COVID-19 positivity rate of more than 12 per cent from April 1 to control the spread of the virus.

    Talking to media, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said  the lockdown will continue till April 11. He added that this will be reviewed by the cabinet committee on COVID-19 after seven days.

    The Punjab districts with a positivity rate higher than 12pc, as of March 28, include:

    Lahore – 17pc

    Faisalabad – 15pc

    Rawalpindi – 15pc

    Multan – 12pc

    Sargodha – 12pc

    Sialkot – 12pc

    Districts/cities with positivity higher than 8% are:

    Buzdar stated that the provincial government will not enforce any limitations on economic activities or industries. “The construction, transport, goods and industrial sectors will continue to operate as per regular according to standard operating procedures (SOPs),” he said.

    A complete ban will be imposed on wedding events and other gatherings in the province. “It was also decided to close down the mass transit transport system which includes the Orange Line Metro Train and the Speedo bus service.”

    There will be also a complete ban on indoor and outdoor dining at all restaurants and hotels, Buzdar said. “However, takeaway and home delivery will be allowed.”

    He said that the same restrictions will be applied  on sporting, cultural and social activities. “Parks will be closed. Commercial timings for bazaars and markets will be till 6pm, while shops will remain closed two days of the week.”

    Buzdar urged people to follow SOPs strictly. “You will protect yourself and your family members by wearing face masks,” he said.

    Pakistan is currently fighting against the third wave of COVID-19 with a total tally of 659,116.  The country reported 4,525 cases and 41 deaths on Monday.

  • Wasim Akram wants govt to ‘slap’ COVID-19 SOP violators

    Wasim Akram wants govt to ‘slap’ COVID-19 SOP violators

    Former captain of the Pakistan Cricket team Wasim Akram on Saturday called on authorities to give “two slaps” to people violating the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) as only then they would understand the problem.

    Sharing a video message on coronavirus, Akram, in his quintessential Urdu-Punjabi style, hoped that people from Pakistan and across the world will be in good health in these “testing times”.

    The cricketer turned commentator said that he had “read and seen” that coronavirus cases were rising in Punjab, especially in his city Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

    “Please follow the SOPs. Why are you so stubborn?” Akram asked his followers.

    The former fast bowler said that there was also a “Plan B” in place for those not following the SOPs.

    Akram, then in Punjabi, explained that “Plan B” is to give all violators two slaps each as they would never understand in the normal manner. He sniped that the Pakistanis were just “legends”.

    The former fast bowler’s comments come as the country for a second day reported more than 4,000 cases. Most of these cases were from Punjab.

    According to data from the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 4,468 people tested positive for COVID-19 on March 26 while 67 people succumbed to the virus.

    Pakistan is currently battling its third wave of the coronavirus due to a lethal UK strain that has entered the country.

  • Pakistan to start vaccine drive for citizens 50 and above from March 30

    Pakistan to start vaccine drive for citizens 50 and above from March 30

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has announced that the vaccination  drive for citizens 50 and above will start from March 30.

    “Registration of those who are 50+ for COVID vaccination will be opened on March 30,” said Umar.

    “Registration of those who are 60 and older has already been open. Encourage everybody who is 50 plus to register when the registration is opened for them on the 30th,” added the minister.

    The government has also allowed walk-in vaccination for seniors aged 60 and above at different health centers.

    Read more – Here’s how you can register for COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan

    Vaccination of people 60 and above commenced on March 10. Among those who received their shot is Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Dr Arif Alvi, Samina Peerzada, Bushra Ansari and Javed Sheikh. Citizens have also praised the government for the facility.

    Pakistan is currently battling with its third wave of COVID-19. According to the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), Pakistan has reported 4,368 cases and 63 deaths in the last 24 hours.

  • Doughnut company offers free doughnut every day if you’ve been vaccinated

    Doughnut company offers free doughnut every day if you’ve been vaccinated

    Krispy Kreme, an American doughnut company and coffeehouse is offering a free doughnut to customers who present their COVID-19 vaccine cards.

    According to details, the deal started Monday and will last through the rest of 2021. Customers can bring their valid vaccination cards to any Krispy Kreme shop in the United States every day for the rest of the year to get a free Original Glazed doughnut – one per day.

    Krispy Kreme’s marketing promotion is one of the first of its kind among retailers as states have broadened access to coronavirus vaccinations to meet President Joe Biden’s May 1 deadline.

    “We all want to get COVID-19 behind us as fast as possible and we want to support everyone doing their part to make the country safe by getting vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them,” Krispy Kreme chief marketing officer Dave Skena said in a statement.

    Krispy Kreme said it will also offer up to four hours of paid time off for its employees to get vaccinated and for delivering free doughnuts to some vaccination centres in the next few weeks for health-care workers and volunteers.

  • COVID-19: Schools in hotspot areas to stay closed till April 11

    COVID-19: Schools in hotspot areas to stay closed till April 11

    Schools located in COVID-19 hotspot areas will remain closed till April 11, Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood has announced.

    Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, after an important meeting of education and health ministers at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Mahmood said that the number of active COVID-19 cases have doubled in the last three weeks while the positivity ratio has crossed 8%.

    Mahmood further said the government will discuss this with the Cambridge exams board to see whether CIE examinations can be postponed or not.

    “We have seen that the number of cases in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir has increased,” said Mahmood, adding: “The number of infections is relatively less in Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Balochistan.”

    Pakistan has reported 637,042 cases and 13,965 deaths so far. 3,301 cases and 30 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.

    Number of cases recorded in different provinces in the last 24 hours are:

  • VIDEO: Waitress quits job on spot after customer refuses to wear mask

    VIDEO: Waitress quits job on spot after customer refuses to wear mask

    A waitress in the United States quit her job on the spot after a customer refused to wear a face mask.

    In a video doing the rounds on social media, a couple can be seen entering a restaurant. The woman was not wearing a mask so a waitress came up to her and requested her to wear her mask.

    The customer kept arguing with her telling her that she will go to her table quickly. She was told that she will only be allowed once she puts on her mask in response to which the customer said that she does not want to spoil her lipstick. 

    Later, the manager came and tried to convince the customer, who continued to resist.

    The waitress then said: “It’s people like you who make it difficult for having a job. I don’t get paid enough to be here.”

    She took off her apron and cap and told the manager that all this “is not even her fault” and then she left the restaurant stating that she quit.

    The customer agreed to wear the mask after the waitress left.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBBrZvdeHKw&t=65s

  • Study shows Thai sniffer dogs 95% accurate in detecting COVID-19 from human sweat

    Thai sniffer dogs trained to sense COVID-19 in human sweat proved almost 95% correct during training and could be used to identify virus at busy transport hubs within seconds, the head of a pilot project said.

    According to details, six Labrador Retrievers were involved in six-month research that included unleashing them to test an infected patient’s sweat on a spinning wheel of six canned vessels.

    “The dogs take only one to two seconds to detect the virus,” Professor Kaywalee Chatdarong, the leader of the project at the veterinary faculty of Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, told Reuters.

    “Within a minute, they will manage to go through 60 samples.”

    The dogs can detect a volatile organic compound secreted in the sweat of COVID-19 patients, even if hey are not showing any virus symptoms, the Thai researcher said.

    The dogs would not need to directly sniff people, but could screen samples of sweat, a task that should not be difficult in a tropical country such as Thailand, she added.

    Chile, Finland and India are other countries that have also launched efforts to get sniffer dogs to detect the virus, with a German veterinary clinic saying last month its sniffer dogs had achieved 94% detection accuracy in human saliva.

    “The next step is we will put them out in the field,” said Kaywalee.

    “In the future, when we send them to airports or ports, where there is an influx of commuters, they will be much faster and more precise in detecting the virus than temperature checks.”

    Thailand has been relatively successful in containing the virus with a new wave of infections in the first two months of the year now levelling off and after recording 88 deaths.

    The country has also started vaccinating front-line health workers and hopes to find a way to let tourists come again after its tourism-dependent economy was affected by the pandemic.

  • Modi, Bilawal, Tariq Jamil among others wish PM Khan a swift recovery

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on March 20 tested positive for COVID-19. According to details, the premier is suffering from ‘mild symptoms’ and is self-isolating at home. PM Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi has also tested positive for the virus.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, while talking to the media, said that they “are monitoring his clinical parameters, and medical treatment will be given to him if required.”

    “Right now, there is no need for any treatment, as such,” added Dr Sultan.

    Soon after the news of PM Imran testing positive spread, prayers started pouring in for his speedy recovery. Among those who sent him good wishes include Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maulana Tariq Jamil, PPP co-chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal.

    “Best wishes to PM Imran for a speedy recovery from COVID-19,” said PM Modi.

    “Our thoughts and prayers are with him during this time of difficulty,” said PM Rajapaksa.

    “May Allah grant him full and speedy recovery,” said Maulana Tariq Jamil.

    PPP’s BBZ and Sherry Rehman and PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal also prayed for the PM’s swift recovery.

    PM Khan’s former teammates Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raja and Waqar Younis also prayed for his swift recovery.

  • ‘I’ve done it’: Bushra Ansari celebrates as she receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

    Bushra Ansari has received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

    Sharing a video of herself receiving the shot, the veteran actor wrote: “Yyyyyeeee. I’ve done it.”

    She urged her followers to get the vaccine saying that it was necessary for themselves and their loved ones.

    “This vaccine is so important to get for our friends and family,” said Ansari in her video.

    She also joked about getting the jab first since she is a senior citizen.

    “I never had fun being a senior citizen until today,” she joked.

    Earlier, Reema Khan, Samina Peerzada, and President Dr Arif Alvi along with his wife shared pictures and videos of themselves getting vaccinated for the novel coronavirus.

  • COVID-19: Walk-in vaccination for seniors aged 70 and above begins

    Walk-in vaccination for seniors aged 70 and above will be available in Pakistan from today.

    According to the National Command Operation Center (NCOC) registered senior citizens aged 70 and above can get vaccinated from any health centre. However, the walk-in corona vaccination facility will only be available for registered senior citizens.

    Punjab Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid has urged all citizens to register themselves before heading to the facility to avoid inconvenience.

    Vaccination of people over 60 years and above commenced on March 10. Among those who received their shot is President Arif Alvi and Samina Peerzada, who also praised the government for the facility.

    Meanwhile, 2511, people tested positive in last 24 hours in Pakistan and the positivity rate has jumped to 7.21 %. Whereas, 58 people have lost their lives to the virus.

    Amid the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases, various corona related restrictions have been re-imposed in different cities of country. The Sindh Government has imposed smart lockdown across the province until April 15 to fight against the third wave. The Punjab Government has also issued a notice and urged people to follow strict SOPs in the province.

    Meanwhile, Dr Yasmin has also said that administrative officers and police staff will be vaccinated in the next phase.