Tag: covid 19

  • 22 COVID patients die after oxygen leak in Indian hospital

    22 COVID patients die after oxygen leak in Indian hospital

    At least 22 patients died on Wednesday in a hospital in western India after a disruption to their oxygen supply caused by a leaking tank, the health minister said, as a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases soaks up supplies of the crucial gas.

    The incident in the city of Nashik, one of India’s worst-hit areas, happened after the tank of gas leaked, said Rajesh Tope, the health minister of Maharashtra, the richest state, where the city is located.

    “Patients who were on ventilators at the hospital in Nashik have died,” Tope said in televised remarks.

    “The leakage was spotted at the tank supplying oxygen to these patients. The interrupted supply could be linked to the deaths of the patients in the hospital.”

    The world’s second-most populous nation reported 295,041 new infections on Wednesday for the world’s highest daily rise, stretching its hospitals to breaking point, officials said.

    On Tuesday, hospitals in Delhi, the capital, said they had enough oxygen left for just another eight to 24 hours, while some private institutions had enough for only four or five.

    The situation was so severe that some people had tried to loot an oxygen tanker, forcing authorities to beef up security, said the health minister of the neighbouring state of Haryana.

    “From now, I’ve ordered police protection for all tankers,” Anil Vij told Reuters.

    Television showed images of people with empty oxygen cylinders crowding refilling facilities as they scrambled to save stricken relatives in hospital.

    “We were completely blocked out of supplies yesterday but by the end of the day we received some and it is helping us today,” said Charu Sachdeva, an official at the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre in the capital.

    In the northern city of Lucknow, one man said a hospital had asked him to arrange oxygen supplies for his uncle or take him away since it had run out.

    Delhi, a city of 20 million people, recorded 28,395 new cases and 277 deaths on Tuesday, its highest tally since the pandemic began. Every third person tested for coronavirus proved positive. Several high-profile figures like former PM Manmohan Singh and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi have also tested positive for the virus.

    Read more – PM Imran wishes Manmohan Singh a speedy recovery

    About 80 of 142 hospitals in Delhi had no beds left for virus patients, government figures showed.

    India faces a coronavirus “storm” overwhelming its health system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a national address overnight, adding that authorities were working with states and private firms to deliver oxygen with “speed and sensitivity”.

    Delhi, like large parts of India, let its guard down when the virus seemed to be under control, allowing big gatherings such as weddings and festivals as daily infections fell to fewer than 1,000 during the winter, health experts said.

  • Asad Umar warns complete lockdown in major cities if SOPs not followed

    Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umair has warned that a complete lockdown in major cities of the country could be imposed if the public does not strictly follow COVID-19 SOPs.

    Addressing the media after chairing a session of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Umar hinted at the possibility of shutting down major cities of the country amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

    “Further restrictions will need to be imposed,” said Umar. “Let me make it clear, the level at which the virus is spreading and our hospitals are filling up, if we don’t act now, we will have no choice but to close down major cities.”

    “Presently, the number of patients on oxygen is more than 4,500 which is 30% more than than the first wave of the virus,” stressed Umar, adding: “Health facilities are under stress due to increasing number of positive cases which have now crossed 83,000.”

    Reiterating his warning, Umar said: “This is the last chance to follow SOPs and curb the spread of the virus otherwise we will not have any other choice but to close big cities.”

    Umar also said that the government has prepared a new set of guidelines and shared them with the provincial governments. They will be announced on Friday, April 23.

    Pakistan started the COVID-19 vaccination drive of people in the age group 50-59 today (April 21). Registrations for those 50 and above commenced on March 30. Those who haven’t registered can send their CNIC number to 1166 to register or can register online.

    Pakistan is experiencing the third wave of coronavirus with the situation worse than it was during the first wave. According to the NCOC, 5499 new cases and148 deaths were recorded in the country in the last 24 hours.

  • PM Imran wishes Manmohan Singh a speedy recovery

    Prime Minister Imran Khan wished former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a speedy recovery from COVID-19.

    The veteran Congress leader tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

    The 88-year-old was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) with fever. Singh remains stable a day after he was admitted.

    Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also tested positive for COVID.

    According to media reports, new COVID-19 cases in India reached more than 270,000 on Monday, a new record. The total cases are now more than 15 million, the second-highest after the US. India reported 1,761 deaths due to the coronavirus today. Pakistan on Monday banned travellers from India due to concerns over Indian variant. Britain also added India to its “red list” of countries. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also called off his trip to New Delhi in the wake of the rising coronavirus cases in India.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received severe backlash over the BJP government’s mishandling of the COVID situation in India.

  • ‘We are stuffed in one room like animals’: British Pakistanis complain about quarantine facilities

    British Pakistani travellers who are isolating at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel near Heathrow Airport have registered a protest against the poor facilities given to them at the quarantine facility, Geo News has reported.

    According to details, authorities at the quarantine facility are not providing enough meals to 19 quarantined families with people protesting against the non-provision of food at the time of sehri and aftari.

    “It’s a basic human rights issue. People have not received food for the three meals that were contractually supposed to be provided to the families. The food that has been delivered has not been on time. Moreover, we are in the midst of the Holy Month of Ramazan. There are people who have fasted without receiving any food at all,” said Hasnain Sheikh, while describing the situation in a video message.

    He said that the purpose of making the video was to call to the attention of UK government authorities towards the conditions of returning travellers. Expressing that such conditions are unacceptable, Sheikh said that people staying at the facility have paid a hefty sum for their quarantine living arrangements for 10 days.

    https://twitter.com/MurtazaViews/status/1383776694612283394

    “More promises and assurances are being given via hotel security, but our plea needs to be heard. This is a human rights crisis and I hope the government pays attention,” said Ghulam Sayyadain, another individual stuck at the hotel.

    Member of another quarantined family Abdullah Inayat told media outlets that his son had a bout of food poisoning after eating a meal at the centre.

    “My family was forced to eat cold food and was not facilitated at all,” said Abdullah. “We are stuffed in one room like animals. We have paid more than £3,500 only to quarantine and have been deprived of even the basic facilities. For a family of five to live in a medium-sized room is unhygienic and there are dangers to [our] health.”

    On the other hand, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “Hotels providing managed quarantine facilities are able to accommodate the vast majority of people’s requirements and are obligated to provide guests with three meals a day, access to WIFI, welfare and health support.”

    Earlier this month, Pakistan was added to England’s “red list” amid concerns about the spread of new COVID-19 variants.

    As per new COVID related rules introduced by the UK government, those who have visited or passed through a country where travel to the UK is banned must quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel.

  • Ramzan 2021: NCOC issues list of guidelines

    As Pakistan battles, a deadly third wave of COVID-19, the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), has issued a list of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for Ramzan.

    A special meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on April 13, during which the following NPIs were decided:

    • Broader lockdowns
    • Saturdays and Sundays will be observed as ‘closed days’ at the national level
    • The market timing will be from Sehr till 6:00 pm apart from essential services
    • Indoor dining will be banned, however, outdoor dining will be allowed from iftar till midnight
    • Complete closure of cinemas and shrines will continue to be enforced
    • 50% work from the home policy will continue
    • Taraweeh prayer to be organised in open spaces as far as possible
    • There will be a complete ban on contact sports, festivals, cultural gatherings, and other events
    • All kind of indoor, as well as outdoor gatherings, will remain banned
    • Ban inter-provincial transport on two closed days (Saturdays and Sundays) which will continue to be enforced till midnight April 25-26 and the decision will be reviewed on April 20.
    • Stringent protocols for tourism have been imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir and tourist sites elsewhere. In addition to that, Sentinel testing sites at every point/selected locations will be established.

    All NPIs will be effective from Ramzan 1st (April 14).

    As per NCOC, 4681 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours, with the positivity rate of 9.73%, whereas 135 people lost their lives.

  • Third COVID-19 wave: 135 deaths in a day set new record for Pakistan in 2021

    Third COVID-19 wave: 135 deaths in a day set new record for Pakistan in 2021

    Pakistan reported its highest number of coronavirus-related deaths so far this year on Wednesday, amid third wave of the pandemic that is putting the country’s health service under extreme strain.

    The government portal keeping track of the outbreak in the country registered 135 deaths in the last 24 hours — up from 118 a day earlier and the highest number of fatalities since June 20 — taking the total number of deaths on the measure to 15,754.

    According to the Ministry of National Health Services (MoNHS) data, 48,092 tests were conducted on Tuesday after which 4,681 people tested positive for the contagion disease. The total number of cases in the country is 734,423.

    Punjab recorded the most deaths during the last 24 hours at 79 followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 49.

    Sindh has been the worst-hit with 269,840 cases followed by Punjab where 255,571 people have been tested positive, the statement said.

    Moreover, over 80% ventilators are occupied across the country with around 700 out of total 5,000+ patients in critical care.

    Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has issued revised guidelines for the second COVID-19-hit Ramzan to tackle the spread of the virus.

  • Shehzad Roy refused a fan a selfie for not wearing a mask

    With Pakistan battling a lethal third wave of coronavirus, authorities and the government have urged the public to be responsible and follow all COVID-19 protocols. Unfortunately, many have been caught flouting the necessary SOPs and Shehzad Roy recently told off one of them for not wearing a mask.

    Read more – Shehzad Roy has the funniest response to a Twitter marriage proposal

    “A boy came up to me for a selfie, not wearing a mask,” shared Roy on social media.

    He continued: “I asked him to step back. [A] minute later his father came angrily and told me off for being rude. I told him, its for [the] boy’s safety.”

    “The father of the boy replied: ‘Itna nuqsan toh is buchay ko corona say bhi nahi hota, jitna tum nay is ka dil dukha kay kiya hai’,” said the singer.

    According to NCOC, Pakistan has recorded 4318 cases of the virus in last 24 hours while 118 people have lost their lives.

  • Two-week complete lockdown in worst-hit Lahore from today?

    Punjab health authorities and local administration have proposed a complete lockdown in the provincial capital as the COVID-19 positivity ratio stands at around 19% for the third consecutive week.

    The final decision, in this regard, will be taken by the Asad Umar-led National Command Operation Centre (NCOC).

    Lahore is the worst-hit during the third wave of the pandemic owing to the recklessness of the masses and disinterest of the government. Both had turned a blind eye towards the virus situation until the positivity ratio climbed to a whopping 23% last week.

    The situation in other parts of Punjab is not much better either.

    Punjab Health Minister Prof Dr Yasmin Rashid has said that if precautionary measures are not taken, the situation in Lahore and other cities would worsen.

    Explaining the alarming situation in the Punjab capital, she said there were no vacant ventilators at any of the city’s major hospitals, including Jinnah Hospital, Services Hospital and Gangaram Hospital.

    Besides the shortage of ventilators, oxygen beds at hospitals across Lahore have also reached their 70% capacity.

    “We don’t have any other option rather than the complete lockdown in Lahore however the final decision will be taken by the Punjab government,” the provincial health minister added.

    Meanwhile, 58 people lost their lives due to coronavirus with 4,584 new cases over the past 24 hours. The death toll has surged to 15,501 while the number of confirmed cases stands at 725,602.

    The 58 fatalities on Sunday-Monday come after over 100 deaths ever 24 hours for at least five consecutive days.

  • ‘Vaccination registrations for all ages to open after Eid’

    Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has announced that the government plans to open registrations for COVID-19 vaccination for citizens of all age groups after Eid, which is around mid-May.

    According to a report in Gulf News, the minister made these remarks while talking to senior media persons in a press meet. He also said that Pakistan will be able to vaccinate more than 125,000 people per day after Eid.

    “We began a phase-wise approach at the beginning [and are expanding it now],” said Umar during the meeting, adding that the coming five to six weeks are very critical for Pakistan in the fight against coronavirus.

    The minister said that the private sector had also started vaccinations and so far 14,000 people have been vaccinated through that, while 1.1 million were inoculated as part of the government campaign.

    Umar also relayed that China was Pakistan’s “primary source” for vaccination and that the CanSino vaccine would also be available in the country after Eid.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan is all set to start manufacturing the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V locally in collaboration with Russia in the coming months.

    Vaccinations of people 60 and above commenced on March 10, while registrations for people above 50 started from March 30.

    Pakistan is currently battling with its third wave of COVID-19. According to the NCOC, Pakistan has recorded 5312 cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours and 105 people have lost their lives to the deadly virus.

  • High hopes for Pakistan with aim to start local manufacturing of Sputnik V vaccine

    High hopes for Pakistan with aim to start local manufacturing of Sputnik V vaccine

    Pakistan is all set to start the local manufacturing the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in collaboration with Russia in the coming months.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart on Wednesday, said Pakistan was looking forward to Russian collaboration for the local production of the Sputnik V vaccine.

    The Russian FM said his government had provided 50,000 doses to Pakistan and intended to provide more than 150,000 doses in the coming weeks.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had arrived on Tuesday for a two-day visit in Islamabad, where he was received by Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

    FM Lavrov also expressed satisfaction over an increase in bilateral trade that reached $790 million over the last year.

    Earlier, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had approved the emergency use of the Russian vaccine.

    Two doses of it are currently being administered across private facilities in major cities for around Rs13,000.

    It has an efficacy rate of over 91%.