Tag: COVID-19 pandemic

  • Colleagues pray for Fawad Ahmed’s speedy recovery

    Colleagues pray for Fawad Ahmed’s speedy recovery

    Monday’s match between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators was postponed after Australian legspinner Fawad Ahmed from United’s squad tested positive for coronavirus. While PCB clarified that the coronavirus test results of players from both squads came back negative, the match was postponed to “ensure players from both sides get time to prepare for the game.”

    Following the announcement, Ahmed requested everyone to remember him in their prayers and thanked them for their kind messages.

    Many colleagues, fans and noted people wished the Australian player a quick recover. Those who extended their prayers included Sarfaraz Ahmed, Azhar Mahmood, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Nabi, Junaid Khan, Dr Nauman Niaz, Bilal Asif, Sawera Pasha, Muhammad Nawaz, Amir Yamin, Ahmed Shehzad, Sherfane Rutherford, Sandeep Lamichhane, Zafar Gohar and actor Asad Siddiqui.

    Meanwhile, after Fawad’s test came back positive, all other players were asked to remain at the hotel as their rapid coronavirus tests were conducted.

    In response to the development, Islamabad United confirmed that one of their players had tested positive, while all others players have been cleared to play.

    The team management clarified that “Fawad did not breach any Covid Protocols”. According to the PCB’s protocol, Ahmed will remain in isolation until he returns with two negative results in 10 days time.

  • Ahmed Ali Butt recounts harrowing experience with COVID-19 in a foreign country

    Ahmed Ali Butt has opened up and shared his struggle with COVID-19 while being stranded in a foreign country.

    “I have been in quarantine for a better two weeks of my life after getting covid +ve, in a country not my own and with people who didn’t understand me,” shared Butt in an Instagram story. “This has been the most isolated and challenging experience of my life as I didn’t have anyone. With Allah’s blessing, I had decent living and eating arrangements.”

    The actor further said: “The isolation was something that I wasn’t prepared for at all. Your mind has the tendency to be your best friend and your worst enemy and mine had a field day with me. These were not the best days I would like to remember from any part of my life,” adding that he wouldn’t wish this experience upon anyone.

    Butt then went on to say that the isolation and experience with COVID taught him to be grateful for his wife and family who helped him recover.

    “I am back in my country and with my wife and son and recovering. Thank you to all the people who found out and stayed in touch during my madness. It means a lot,” concluded the actor.

    Butt did not reveal in which country he was stranded.

    Meanwhile, Ahmed has a string of projects lined up. He was recently in the news for his international film debut, Phatte Dinde Chakk Punjabi for which he was shooting in the United Kingdom.

    According to details, the film is a comedy-drama directed by Smeep Kang and produced by Gippy Grewal. Other members of the cast include famous Punjabi movie stars Grewal, Neeru Bajwa and Anu Kapoor.

  • COVID-19: Pakistan begins registration of senior citizens for vaccination

    COVID-19: Pakistan begins registration of senior citizens for vaccination

    The Head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Asad Umar announced on Monday that the government has started registration for COVID-19 vaccination of citizens above 65. The vaccination drive for them will begin in March.

    “Pleased to announce that registration for getting COVID vaccine is now open for all citizens 65 and above,” wrote the minister on Twitter.

    Umar said those interested in getting themselves vaccinated can write down their CNIC number and send a message on 1166. 

    “InshAllah vaccinations for this age group will start in March,” he added.

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

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Jhagra praised the NCOC, SAPM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and NCOC head Asad Umar for their efforts.

  • Lawyer accidentally turns on kitten filter during virtual case hearing

    Lawyer accidentally turns on kitten filter during virtual case hearing

    A Texas court hearing over Zoom went viral after a lawyer accidentally activated a cat filter and then couldn’t turn off.

    In the Zoom meeting, one of the lawyers, Rod Ponton, became a fluffy white kitten in a moment. Mr Ponton’s head appeared as a cat alongside the two men in suits.

    In the video, Judge Roy Ferguson asked the lawyer if he wanted to turn of the filter.

    “Can you hear me, judge?” Mr Ponton responded as a kitten.

    “I can hear you. I think it’s a filter,” the judge replied.

    “It is, and I don’t know how to remove it,” the lawyer said in response.

    Later, in a phone interview with The New York Times, the lawyer talking about the incident said: “If I can make the country chuckle for a moment in these difficult times they’re going through, I’m happy to let them do that at my expense.”

    Mr Ponton added that his secretary – whose computer he was using for the call – was “embarrassed” by the mistake.

    But the whole incident took less than a minute before he figured out how to deactivate the filter and return to business.

    “My older and less humorous face popped up, and we continued with the hearing,” he said.

    Judge Ferguson shared the video clip on Twitter with the caption: “These fun moments are a by-product of the legal profession’s dedication to ensuring that the justice system continues to function in these tough times. Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filter lawyer should incredible grace. True professionalism all around.”

  • VIDEO: Frontline workers receive their COVID-19 vaccines across Pakistan

    The National Immunisation Drive against COVID-19 formally commenced on Tuesday with a ceremony at the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) in Islamabad. Prime Minister Imran Khan, Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Sania Nishtar were among those present at the event.

    According to Umar, Dr Rana Imran Sikander, who heads the COVID ward at PIMS Hospital in Islamabad, was the first person to receive the vaccination in the country.

    Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar lauded the sacrifices and services of frontline healthcare workers for serving the nation during the pandemic.

    “Frontline healthcare workers are our real heroes,” said the minister. “No doubt they have put their lives at risk in their fight against COVID-19 and we pay tribute to all of them.”

    He also thanked the Government of China for supporting Pakistan during the pandemic and donating vaccine to the country. Umar also paid tribute to the NCOC team and provincial authorities working in close liaison in the fight against the virus.

    The next day on Wednesday, separate ceremonies were held in all the provinces and federating units at the same time, where healthcare workers received their first dose of the vaccine. Healthcare workers are being inoculated with the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine imported from China.

    Meanwhile, addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan said an effective mechanism has been developed to ensure the administration of the COVID vaccine to the people.

    Dr Faisal said adult vaccine centres have been established across the country which currently have the capacity to administer the vaccine to forty thousand people on daily basis. He said this capacity will be further enhanced in the coming days.

    The SAPM added that the government aims to inoculate seventy percent population by the end of this year.

  • Here’s how you can register for COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan

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

    The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has finalized the COVID-19 vaccination strategy as the country expects the first batch of a Chinese vaccine by January 31.

    The government has approved three COVID-19 vaccines including Russia’s Sputnik-V, China’s Sinopharm and UK’s Oxford-AstraZeneca so far.

    Here is a step-by-step guide to get coronavirus vaccine:

    Step 1: Citizens including frontline healthcare workers will send CNIC number to 1166 through SMS or use NIMS website for registration.

    Step 2: After necessary verification, designated AVC (Adult Vaccine Centre) (based on “Present Address” and PIN Code will be sent to the citizen through SMS)

    Step 3: If the designated AVC is outside the current tehsil of the citizen, he/ she can change the designated health facility by visiting NIMS web portal or by calling 1166 helpline within 5 days of receipt of the first SMS.

    Step 4: Upon availability of vaccine at the Designated Vaccination Centre, SMS will be sent to the citizen to intimate appointment date for vaccine administration.

    Step 5: After successful registration, the citizen will visit AVC on date of appointment along with original CNIC and received PIB Code (mandatory).

    Step 6: Vaccination staff will verify the CNIC and PIN code.

    Step 7: After successful verification, the citizen will be vaccinated. Upon vaccine administration, vaccination staff will enter the details in NIMS and confirmation message will be sent to the citizen through SMS. Citizen will stay in AVC for 30 min for the post-inoculation monitoring.

    Step 8: Real-time dashboard for the federal, provincial and district health department will be generated automatically.

  • COVID-19: Does double-masking help?

    COVID-19: Does double-masking help?

    Wearing a mask has now become an important part of our lives to avoid the transmission of the COVID-19. The appropriate use, storage and cleaning or disposal of masks are essential to make them as effective as possible.

    There are often times when you spot people wearing two face masks at the same time, but the question is, does it help?

    In theory, a virus should have a tougher time getting through two layers than just one layer. In a commentary in the journal Med, Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, a Professor of Medicine recommended wearing at least a “high-quality surgical mask or a fabric mask of at least two layers with high thread count.” But they added that wearing a cloth mask tightly on top of a surgical mask could provide even more protection.

     Anthony Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) also favours double-masking.

    “If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” says Fauci.

  • COVID-19: Sindh reopens shopping malls on weekends

    COVID-19: Sindh reopens shopping malls on weekends

    The Sindh government has allowed shopping malls in Karachi to remain open on the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). 

    According to the notification issued by the government, shopping malls will now be allowed to operate seven days a week under the government’s COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

    The notification added that if a shopping mall is situated in a virus hotspot within the city, then it will remain closed as only essential businesses are permitted to operate therein. 

    Meanwhile, as of January 21, the province has recorded 12 COVID-related deaths, elating the overall number to 3,855. Some 716 new cases were diagnosed taking the positivity rate to 11.2%. 

  • Moderna says possible allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine under investigation

    Moderna says possible allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine under investigation

    Moderna Inc said on Tuesday it had received a report from California’s health department that several people at a center in San Diego were treated for possible allergic reactions to its COVID-19 vaccine from a particular batch.

    The company’s response comes after California’s top epidemiologist on Sunday issued a statement recommending providers to pause vaccination from a specific batch due to possible allergic reactions that are under examination.

    “A higher-than-usual number of possible allergic reactions were reported with a specific lot of Moderna vaccine administered at one community vaccination clinic. Fewer than 10 individuals required medical attention over the span of 24 hours,” the epidemiologist said in a statement.

    The vaccine maker said it was unaware of comparable cases of adverse events from other vaccination centers which may have administered vaccines from the same lot or from other lots of its vaccine.

    A total of 307,300 doses from the lot remain in storage, vaccine said, of the total 1,272,200 doses that were produced in the batch.

    It was working closely with US health regulators to understand the cases and whether pausing the use of the lot was warranted.

    Nearly a million doses from the lot have already been distributed to about 1,700 vaccination sites in 37 states, said Moderna.

  • Ice cream tests positive for COVID-19

    Ice cream has been found to have been contaminated with COVID-19 in China after three samples of the dessert tested positive for the virus.

    As per details, authorities in China are tracing people who may have come into contact with the contaminated batches, which were produced by the Chinese food company.

    All products made by the firm have been sealed after the samples it sent to the municipal centre for disease control this week tested positive for coronavirus.

    Initial epidemiological investigations show the ice cream batch has used raw materials that include milk powder imported from New Zealand and whey powder imported from Ukraine.

    Authorities said the company produced 4,836 boxes of the contaminated ice cream of which 2,089 had been sealed away in storage.

    A total of 935 boxes of the ice cream, out of 2,747 boxes that entered the market, were in Tianjin and only 65 were sold to markets.

    Authorities said citizens who may have bought the product must report their health and physical movements to those in their communities.

    The city has also informed the market regulation authorities in other provinces where the ice cream was sent so it can be traced.

    Meanwhile, 1,662 employees of the company have gone into isolation.