Tag: covid 19

  • ‘Well done Pakistan’: 58% of eligible population fully vaccinated

    Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that 58 per cent of Pakistan’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. He also mentioned that Pakistan has set a record by administering 2.24 million Covid-19 vaccination doses in a day.

    “Another record set with 2.24 million vaccinations in a day. Last 4 days in a row we have vaccinated more than 2 million each day. Every 3 out of 4 Pakistanis eligible for vaccination have received at least 1 dose. 58% are fully vaccinated. Well done Pakistan,” the minister wrote in his tweet.

    As per the National Command Operation Center (NCOC), Pakistan recorded 3,498 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours with 39 people losing their lives to the deadly virus.

  • Door-to-door vaccination: Pakistan to vaccinate 35 million people in two weeks

    Door-to-door vaccination: Pakistan to vaccinate 35 million people in two weeks

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that the government has launched a massive door-to-door vaccination campaign amid the fifth wave of Covid-19 in the country. Over 35 million Covid-19 shots will be administrated to the citizens during the campaign.

    Speaking at a press conference alongside Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Asad Umar said that in the first phase of the campaign, 55,000 mobile teams will vaccinate people at their homes for the next two months.

    The campaign’s first phase would start from today (February 1) and run for two weeks.

    “It has been noticed during the current fifth wave of Covid-19 that the people in the areas with high vaccination rates have minor symptoms of the disease,” Asad Umar said.

    Dr Faisal Sultan urged people to quit being “lazy” and get a booster shot if they haven’t already.

    Pakistan recorded 5,327 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours with 32 people losing their lives to the deadly virus.

  • Shahid Afridi recovers from Covid-19, announce Quetta Gladiators

    Shahid Afridi recovers from Covid-19, announce Quetta Gladiators

    Pakistan’s former captain Shahid Afridi has recovered from Covid-19, Quetta Gladiators’ manager Azam Khan announced on Monday.

    Khan said that Afridi will arrive at the team hotel tomorrow (Tuesday) where his rapid antigen test (RAT) will be conducted and if the test comes back negative, he will join the team in their match against Islamabad United on February 3.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Afridi’s PCR test returned negative on Sunday for the second time.

    Read More – Shahid Afridi to miss the first few matches of PSL 7 due to back injury

    A few days ago, Afridi had tested positive for the virus, after which he had to isolate himself following the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Covid-19 protocols.

    On Saturday, the Gladiators had requested the technical committee to be given Hassan Khan as a replacement for Afridi, reported The News.

    As per the media outlet, Hassan will also be available for selection for Quetta’s game against Multan Sultans today (Monday).

    The report added, if Afridi cleared his rapid antigen test, he will join the team and Hassan would return to the bubble.

  • New Zealand denies re-entry of pregnant national, Taliban offers refuge

    New Zealand denies re-entry of pregnant national, Taliban offers refuge

    A former Al Jazeera pregnant journalist, Charlotte Bellis, who is a New Zealand national, was denied re-entry by her home country on the basis of strict Covid-19 protocol. She was offered refuge by the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

    While speaking to Radio New Zealand(RNZ) from Kabul, she said, “This just feels like such a breach of trust.”

    Bellis said that the Taliban told her, “We’re happy for you, you can come and you won’t have a problem”.

    She did not get to know about her pregnancy until she returned back to the Al-Jazeera headquarter in Doha, Qatar.

    She kept quiet about her pregnancy as it is unlawful to conceive a baby out of wedlock in Qatar.

    She left Al Jazeera in November 2021 while working in Afghanistan as a journalist and went to Belgium, the home country of her partner, Jim Huylebroek. As Bellis is not a resident of a country, she could not stay for a longer period.

    She was left with only one option: to travel to Afghanistan with her partner as they had visas. She is currently in Afghanistan.

    Meanwhile, she started her preparation to return back to New Zealand.

    Her application was rejected by authorities in New Zealand for an emergency return.

    New Zealand’s Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins, said on Monday, “I understand she wanted to return on a specific date and that officials reached out to her for more information shortly after looking at her application. The emergency allocation criteria includes a requirement to travel to New Zealand within the next 14 days. Ms Bellis indicated she did not intend to travel until the end of February and has been encouraged by MIQ (Managed isolation and quarantine) to consider moving her plans forward.”

    Bellis applied for a MIQ option through the medical treatment pathway however authority asked her to sign up under the different category where its nationals are in a location that is under serious risk to their safety, she told to RNZ.

    Currently, she is in contact with officials in New Zealand who claimed her rejected application is under review now.

    The New Zealand government has closed down its borders after the emergence of the omicron variant, including for its nationals who want to return back to the country except for special circumstances.

  • Khairpur health workers inject at least 150 police officers with expired vaccine

    Khairpur health workers inject at least 150 police officers with expired vaccine

    At least 150 officers of the Khairpur police department were injected with expired Covid-19 vaccines, confirmed by the Police Training Centre, reports Geo News.

    After the incident, an inquiry report stated that the date of expiry for the vaccine was December 2021, while the vaccine was administered on January 24.

    Four police officers out of 170 got sick due after getting an expired booster dose. Five health workers, including Dr Amar Lal were found responsible for the act.

    The inquiry report states that the incident took place due to the negligence of a storekeeper, a technician, a male nurse, and a vaccinator in Sukkur, and that action should be taken against those responsible.

  • 25 people lose their lives to Covid in 24 hours, highest death rate since October

    25 people lose their lives to Covid in 24 hours, highest death rate since October

    According to the National Command Operation Center (NCOC), Pakistan recorded 7539 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours with 25 people losing their lives to the deadly virus, the highest death rate since October 14. The COVID-19 positivity rate in the country is over 10 per cent from eight consecutive days.

    On Wednesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 1,446 coronavirus cases, the highest number of infections in a single day since the pandemic began. In April 2021, the province had recorded 1,265 cases of Covid-19 in a single day.

    Peshawar’s positivity rate was 35.89 per cent on Wednesday. Morever, the positivity rate in Karachi has reached to 26.91 per cent and in Lahore the positivity rate was 15.25 per cent in the last 24 hours.

    Read more- Schools to close in Lahore if more than three Covid cases found, 5,000 school tests a day

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  • Schools to close in Lahore if more than three Covid cases found, 5,000 school tests a day

    Schools to close in Lahore if more than three Covid cases found, 5,000 school tests a day

    The Punjab government has decided to start widespread coronavirus testing in Lahore schools and colleges. As per the Punjab Health and Education Departments, students above the age of 12 years will be tested for Covid-19.

    5,000 daily tests will be conducted in different educational institutes of Lahore. If three cases of Covid-19 are reported in an educational institution, it will be shut down immediately.

    If two Covid cases are reported in a classroom, it will be sealed.

    As per NCOC, Pakistan recorded 5196 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours with 15 people losing their lives to the deadly virus.

  • Only vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter mosques: NCOC

    Only vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter mosques: NCOC

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued a notification on Saturday with new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for mosques and other places of worship. NCOC, during a meeting today, revised the SOPs amid a sharp increase of Covid-19 cases in the country.

    Following are the new restrictions for mosques:

    • Only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to mosques/worship places
    • Masks have been made mandatory in places of worship
    • Carpets to be removed
    • 6 feet distance to be maintained
    • Elderly, people with flu-like symptoms, and children to offer prayers at home
    • Short sermon for Jumma prayer
    • Minimal attendance for prayers
    • Doors and windows of mosques to stay open for ventilation.
    • It is better to perform wudhu at home

    On January 21, Pakistan reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country since the Covid-19 pandemic began. In 24 hours, 7,678 cases were reported.

  • 40 staff members of hotel reserved for PSL 7 bio-secure bubble test positive for Covid

    40 staff members of hotel reserved for PSL 7 bio-secure bubble test positive for Covid

    40 staff memebers of the hotel reserved for the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) bio-secure bubble have tested positive for Covid-19.

    Read More – Five Covid-19 cases reported in three different franchises ahead of PSL 7

    Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Salman Naseer had said that all international players are coming to Pakistan to play the league.

    Salman also said that the league will kick-start on Thursday, the pre-decided day on January 27 and singer Atif Aslam will be performing in the opening ceremony.

    Salman also revealed that 40 staff memebers of the hotel reserved for the bio-secure bubble have tested positive for Covid-19 in the pre-testing phase while two players and two team officials have also been tested positive for the virus. The crew is now isolating after testing positive.

    It has also been reported that eight staff members of National Stadium Karachi have tested positive for Covid-19 and with that 17 staff members are Covid positive, including security officers.

    Meanwhile, 95 per cent of PSL players and officials have tested negative for Covid-19.

  • Man brushes teeth, shaves during viral court hearing

    Man brushes teeth, shaves during viral court hearing

    In an incident at the Kerala High Court, a person was seen either brushing his teeth or shaving, during the proceedings before Justice VG Arun, on Monday, January 17.

    Following the surge in covid-19 cases in the state, the Kerala High Court had decided to conduct virtual hearings. A man who entered the virtual session was seen brushing his teeth or shaving, mostly facing the camera. While it appeared that the judge did not notice the incident, a video of the man was shared across social media.

    The man, in the video, appears to have just woken up and is seen walking back and forth in a room that appears to be a washroom. It appeared that he was either shaving his beard or brushing his teeth during the proceedings and was seen doing so by other attendees.

    As covid-19 cases in India continue to surge, several High Courts have reverted to conducting virtual hearings again. In the first and second waves of the pandemic, many judges had complained about decorum in the virtual courtroom, as people appeared to be carrying out personal activities during the proceedings.