Tag: COVID-19 pandemic

  • Corona Relief Funds: Auditors find fictitious purchases of items worth Rs881 million by KP govt

    Corona Relief Funds: Auditors find fictitious purchases of items worth Rs881 million by KP govt

    Investigative reporter Zahid Gishkori has revealed that the country’s top auditors have pointed out fictitious purchases, huge irregularities, wasteful expenditures, and losses to public funds of more than Rs3 billion by the health department of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). According to a report published in The News, a special audit team of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) found “fictitious purchases of items worth Rs881 million by the KP government”.

    “The auditors scrutinised the allocation of Rs8.8 billion made for the fiscal year 2019-20, including Rs7.8 billion released by the finance department KP government. Furthermore, auditors also audited an amount of Rs1.7 billion allocated by the finance department to the health department, home & TA department, and the Pandemic Response Effectiveness in Pakistan (PREP), KP, for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic,” read the report.

    “The auditors pointed to doubtful purchases of equipment worth Rs14.358 million, which included stockpiling and logistics, noticing irregularities in an amount of Rs1 billion, which was allocated for provision of death compensation under the relief package for frontline workers dealing with Covid-19.”

    The report also features irregularities in funds of Rs140 million, which were released to the Home and Tribal Affairs Department for screening of prisoners.

    “The audit team also pointed out that the management of PDMA incurred an expenditure of Rs62 million on the purchase of PPEs without any market survey. The audit team pointed to losses of Rs117 million public funds in the purchase of some specification cardiac monitors recommending a high-level inquiry for fixing responsibility and making good the loss sustained by the government,” stated the report.

    “The AGP also questioned non-supply of ICU ventilators despite payment of Rs43.425 million and non-supply of medical equipment worth Rs150 million. Auditors also recommended a doubtful award of contract and payment of Rs11 million to M/s Dawazai & Company, pointing out a supply of 400,000 substandard masks by M/s Protech Solutions to the PDMA accordingly.”

    Meanwhile, Finance & Health Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Taimur Khan Jhagra tweeted, “[The report is] confusing, misleading & irresponsible; this article is based on an on-going audit process in the province.”

    However, as per The News, the complete audit report has been sent to President Arif Alvi.

  • Get vaccinated, save your job: CNN fires unvaccinated employees

    American news channel CNN fired three employees for entering its New York headquarters without getting a Corona vaccination.

    CNN Cheif Jeff Zucker sent a memo to its employees saying that vaccination was necessary and no negligence would be tolerated.

    “All three have been terminated. Let me be clear — we have a zero-tolerance policy on this,” added the memo. “You need to be vaccinated to come to the office. And you need to be vaccinated to work in the field, with other employees, regardless of whether you enter an office or not. Period.”

    The United States (US) is one of the world’s most affected countries by the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 30 million people infected and more than 600,000 dead.

    Vaccination is mandatory to control the virus worldwide. 

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Public sector and military hospitals should be open to general public: Justice Qazi Faez Isa
    
			
    Public sector and military hospitals should be open to general public: Justice Qazi Faez Isa
    
			
    Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa has suggested that public sector and military hospitals should be open to the general public, reported Dawn.
    

    Justice Isa had recently contracted Covid-19 despite being vaccinated. His statement comes in relevance to the grave situation with the surging cases of Covid-19 in Pakistan.
    

    In a statement, Justice Isa said: “Since we are in a situation no less grave than a war, all public sector hospitals, including combined military hospitals and other armed forces hospitals, should be opened immediately to serve the people.”
    

    “Otherwise, class and social divides will further be exacerbated and people continue to suffer and die because of an unequal system,” said Justice Isa.
    

     “My wife and I were one of the initial lucky few in the country who were fully vaccinated as both of us were above 60; courtesy of the Chinese government. We took every precaution, including always wearing masks in public places, yet contracted the highly infectious Delta variant of the disease,” read the statement.
    

    “Even with the vaccination, I still had to be hospitalised. I am receiving excellent treatment from very competent doctors and attendants at the Quaid-i-Azam International Hospital. Such treatment is not within the reach of most [people],” added Justice Isa. 
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Covid-19: New lockdown restrictions in Islamabad
    
			
    Amid the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the country, new lockdown orders have been announced for Islamabad. As per the notification, the following restrictions have been imposed:
    

      

    • Cinemas closed
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    • Shrines closed
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    • Transport 50%
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    • Offices 50%
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    • Saturday and Sunday full lockdown
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    • All indoor functions/weddings banned
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    • Time for markets 8pm
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    • Contact sports , pools, parks closed
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    • Masks compulsory
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    • Gyms allowed for vaccinated individuals only
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    The new Covid-19 restrictions were imposed on August 3 and will remain in place till August 31.
    

    As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan has recorded 4,722 new cases of Covid-19 with the positivity rate of 8.22 per cent.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Sindh to go into complete lockdown from tomorrow
    
			
    The Sindh government has decided to impose lockdown in the province till August 8, starting from tomorrow. The decision was taken during a provincial coronavirus task force meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday. 
    

    The decision to impose the lockdown has been taken to curb the recent surge of Covid-19 cases in the province. During the meeting of Provincial Corona Task Force, Sindh Health Secretary Dr Kazim Jato said that the positivity rate in Karachi during the last 24 hours was 23 per cent, 14.52 per cent in Hyderabad and 2.9 per cent in Sukkur.
    

    The following decisions were taken in the meeting today:
    

      

    • Vaccination cards of citizens roaming the streets will be checked.
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    • All markets will remain closed during the lockdown.
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    • All government offices will be closed from next week.
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    • Pharmacies will remain open.
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    • Unvaccinated government t employees will not get salaries after August 31.
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    However, businesses associated with the export sector will be allowed to operate.
    

    As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan has recorded 4,537 new cases of Covid-19 with the positivity rate of 7.79 per cent.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Antibodies from Sinovac’s Covid-19 shot fade after six months, booster helps: study
    
			
    Antibodies formed by Sinovac Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine drop below a key threshold from around six months after a second dose for most recipients, although a third shot could have a strong boosting impact, a lab study has revealed. 
    

    According  to details, Chinese researchers reported the results from a study of blood samples from healthy adults aged between 18-59 in a paper published on Sunday, which has not been peer-reviewed, reports Reuters.
    

    For participants receiving two doses, two or four weeks apart, only 16.9% and 35.2% respectively still had a level of neutralising antibodies above the threshold six months after the second dose, the paper said.
    

    Read More: Covid vaccination certificate necessary for domestic air travel from August 1
    

    Those readings were based on data from two groups involving more than 50 participants each, while the study gave third doses to a total of 540 participants.
    

    When participants in some cohorts were given a third dose, about six months after the second, neutralising antibody levels after a further 28 days had increased around 3-5 fold from the levels seen four weeks after the second dose, the study showed.
    

    The study was conducted by researchers at disease control authorities in Jiangsu province, Sinovac, and other Chinese institutions.
    

    Researchers notified the study did not test the antibodies’ effect against more contagious variants, and that further research was required to assess antibody duration after a third shot.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Covid positivity rate jumps to 7.5 per cent in Pakistan
    
			
    Covid positivity rate jumps to 7.5 per cent in Pakistan
    
			
    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported that the Covid-19 positivity rate is currently 7.51 per cent.
    

    President Dr Arif Alvi urged citizens to “get serious”. “Cases have shot up post-Eid. I was expecting and warning about it as I saw carelessness in [the] streets, bazaars, [and at] weddings and mosques,” he said.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    President Alvi urged Pakistanis to get vaccinated. “Don’t let the recent gains towards stability [be] sacrificed on the alter of neglect. You are a rising nation, so the important test is to rise to the occasion,” he added.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    The number of deaths from coronavirus in the country has risen to 23,048 after 32 more people died in the last 24 hours and the total number of cases has reached 108,446.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Australian man escapes quarantine using bedsheets
    
			
    Australian man escapes quarantine using bedsheets
    
			
    A man in Perth, Australia, escaped mandatory quarantine in a hotel room by using a rope made of tied together bedsheets from a fourth-floor window, reports Reuters.
    

    He arrived in Perth from Brisbane but was told to leave the state within 48 hours, failing to get a mandatory pass before travel, and was sent to a hotel. However, he fled in the middle of the night but was caught and charged with failure to comply with a direction and providing false information.
    

    Last week, the Western Australia Police Force shared images on their official Facebook account, showing his escape strategy, and informed that he was arrested later and tested Covid-19 negative. 
    

    

    As per reports, Travis Jay Myles appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court via an audio link. The report added that he did not apply for bail and will remain in custody until early August when his 14-day quarantine period ends.
    

    G2G passes registration and declaration prior to entry is mandatory for all travelers in Western Australia. The process will declare where the individual has been in the 14 days before their entry and whether they have any Covid symptoms or not. 
    

    More than half of Australia is in lockdown and restrictions have been imposed to stop the spread of the Delta variant.
    

    Moreover, the vaccination process is quite slow as only 11 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated. The main cause of this is that Australians under 60 are advised to get the Pfizer vaccine, but supplies are very limited.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Covid vaccination certificate necessary for domestic air travel from August 1
    
			
    Covid vaccination certificate necessary for domestic air travel from August 1
    
			
    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has announced to make the Covid vaccination certificate compulsory for travelling through domestic flights from August 1.
    

    NCOC has urged the citizens to get vaccinated by July 31 to avoid any inconvenience. “The citizens should get a Covid vaccine certificate after the vaccination process,” it wrote in a Tweet.
    

    As per reports, those who would not need the COVID vaccination certificate, according to the NCOC, included travelers boarding abroad flights, foreign nationals, and those avoiding vaccination owing to a reaction in the body.
    

    Read More: How to get your Covid-19 vaccination certificate
    

    Furthermore, those having a COVID vaccination certificate from abroad would also be exempted from carrying a Covid vaccination certificate from NADRA.
    

    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has also directed its staff to get themselves vaccinated against the virus by July 31.
    

    Circulation was also issued by Director General Civil Aviation Authority (DGCCA).
    

     “All staff must get vaccinated by July 31 otherwise they will not be allowed to enter into the premises of office/ airport from August 1,” read the notification.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Pakistan has the lowest number of Covid deaths per million: Asad Umar
    
			
    Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said that Pakistan has the lowest number of Covid deaths per million in the region.
    

    “Covid deaths/million population in our region: Iran 1037, Nepal 326, India 301, Sri Lanka 186, Afghanistan 160, Bangladesh 113, Pakistan 102,” said Asad Umar in a tweet.
    

    “Timely decisions, hard work, cooperation of people & blessings of Allah made this possible,” he added.
    

    Asad Umar also urged people to take precautionary measures. “Risk is not over. Follow sop’s & vaccinate.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan has recorded 1,841 new cases of Covid-19 with the positivity rate of 4.89 per cent.