Tag: testing

  • Twitter officially declares adding an edit button

    Twitter officially declares adding an edit button

    The legendary “edit button,” which Twitter users have been demanding for so long that it’s become a cliché, is finally becoming a real thing. Twitter has now officially declared that it is working on allowing users to modify tweets after they have been posted on the platform.

    The aim is to enable users to correct any mistakes or errors in a tweet without losing any existing replies, retweets, or favourites. Twitter said Tuesday that it will begin testing the capability with Twitter Blue subscribers in the coming months.

    https://twitter.com/TwitterComms/status/1511456430024364037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1511457595181068294%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness-61003270

    In a post on Tuesday, Jay Sullivan, the company’s VP of consumer development, remarked that editing has been “the most requested Twitter feature for many years.” Since last year, the corporation has been studying how to implement the function “safely.”

    In the past, Twitter’s former CEO, Jack Dorsey, was hesitant to implement such a function.

    Back in 2018, Dorsey even expressed concerns during a discussion, that an edit button may allow users to modify the meaning of a tweet after it has been widely shared, and he claimed in 2020 that Twitter would probably never incorporate the option.

  • Punjab to vaccinate students of universities, medical institutions

    Punjab to vaccinate students of universities, medical institutions

    The Punjab government has decided to vaccinate students of medical colleges and universities, to ensure the safety of all and protection from the virus.

    The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid. The government discussed a possible move to vaccinate people employed in 30 other sectors where the dangers of contracting the virus are high. 

    “Strict implementation of SOPs led to reduction in coronavirus tests. As of today, 901 cases emerged across the province. For the first time, less than a thousand cases have been reported across the province,” Dr Yasmin Rashid had said. 

    There is a total of 905,852 confirmed cases of Covid- 19 in the country, with a positivity rate of 4.8 per cent.

  • Low testing rate bigger a reason for drop in coronavirus cases than govt efforts

    Low testing rate bigger a reason for drop in coronavirus cases than govt efforts

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that the coronavirus situation in the country is improving as the number of COVID-19 cases “decrease owing to effective measures taken by the government and a majority of people following social distancing guidelines”.

    But the statement the minister made while addressing a press conference at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) last Friday, has been contradicted by the government itself as its data suggests that COVID-19 cases have declined over the past one week because of low testing rate.

    READ: Govt is grossly under-reporting coronavirus deaths and infections: PM’s task force head

    As many as 5,000 to 6,000 cases were being reported on a daily basis in Pakistan by mid-June, which had prompted the government to impose selective lockdowns in different parts of the country, especially Punjab and Sindh, and the number of daily infections has now dropped to 3,000 to 4,000.

    While data from June 15 to June 29 shows that the number of cases reported in the country after June 19 has comparatively been lower, contrary to Umar’s claims, a major reason behind the drop has been that the number of tests performed to diagnose COVID-19 across the country also dropped significantly during the said period.

    The rate of testing came down from 31,000 to 20,000 while the target set by the government to achieve in July was the enhancement of Pakistan’s testing capacity to 100,000.

    LIVE BLOG: COVID-19 pandemic

    If you look at the statistics, it is clear that Pakistan has conducted 1,327,638 (1.3 million) tests so far, while according to Worldometers, Pakistan ranks 32nd out of 49 Asian countries in terms of testing capacity. Countries including Iraq, Bhutan, Iran and Maldives have a higher testing capacity than that of Pakistan.

    According to Punjab health officials, the government is continuing to enhance testing capacity in the country but the testing rate has dropped because patients are less exposed to the virus amid lockdowns.

    “A test is conducted when a suspected patient comes forward after complaining of symptoms or as part of a random testing drive in hotspots,” they said, adding that both instances had seen a significant drop amid lockdown restrictions

  • Punjab ‘controls’ coronavirus numbers by sending lab staff on Eid holidays, resulting in less testing

    Punjab ‘controls’ coronavirus numbers by sending lab staff on Eid holidays, resulting in less testing

    The secret behind the sudden drop in number of new coronavirus cases being reported in Punjab has been revealed as journalist Amber Rahim Shamsi quoted Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce, Investment and Skill Development Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal as saying that lab workers had been given Eid holidays, resulting in less testing.

    After easing lockdown restrictions, Punjab has generously announced six Eidul Fitr holidays from May 22 to May 27, which means the rate of increase in the number of cases in Punjab started going down Friday as lab personnel, who had been working tough shifts since the outbreak began, started getting off work and heading home to celebrate Eid with their families.

    The number of COVID-19 infections in Punjab, which increased from 13,914 to 14,584 from May 16 to May 18 and then 16,685 on May 20, stood at 18,455 on Friday with over a thousand cases being reported every day since May 17-18.

    However, the same number on Saturday stands at 18,730 with an increase of just 275 cases — unlike what trends had suggested.

    “It is true that labs have started working at a lower capacity that is leading to the number of cases going unreported as of yet,” a provincial health official told The Current on the condition of anonymity. They refused to comment on the government’s decision of allowing Eid holidays to lab personnel, but said it was a much-needed relief.

    “Things will get back to normal and the testing capacity will be restored after… or maybe even during Eid,” the official added.

    By the time this report was filed, the total number of coronavirus infections in Pakistan stood at 52,437 with 1,101 deaths. Sindh topped the chart with 20,883 cases, followed by Punjab with 18,730 infections, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 7,391 and Balochistan with 3,198. Islamabad had reported 1,457 cases while Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Azad Kashmir had 607 and 171 infections, respectively.

  • Can’t test people only to see if they have coronavirus or not: Dr Yasmin Rashid

    Can’t test people only to see if they have coronavirus or not: Dr Yasmin Rashid

    In a statement for which she is being trolled, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said that the government cannot conduct tests of people “only to check if they have coronavirus or not”.

    Reports quoted the minister as contradicting the only utility of the tests amid the global COVID-19 outbreak, leaving people wondering what else were tests being conducted for.

    She further said that 90 per cent of coronavirus patients reported to the health officials had shown no symptoms after contracting the virus.

    “We need to create awareness among the masses regarding coronavirus and how it could be avoided,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan had less cases as compared to several other countries across the globe.

    Dr Yasmin further said that the nation had to show a compassionate behavior towards the masses at the time of the pandemic.

    Separately, she said that the Punjab government had conducted 101,897 tests so far, out of which 5,043 were conducted in a single day on May 4.

    “8103 cases were reported positive, we sadly lost 136 people but by the grace of Allah SWT 2,716 patients recovered fully to return home safe & sound [sic],” she tweeted.

    PUNJAB LOCKDOWN:

    Meanwhile, the Punjab government has decided to ease the ongoing lockdown after May 9 as the provincial tally of COVID-19 infections reaches 8,693 — highest in the country.

    Textile, steel and spare part shops will be allowed to operate for six hours. Shopkeepers have reportedly been directed to strictly follow SOPs while dealing with the public.

    Parks will also be reopened but swings will remain closed.

    The province made the announcement prior to the National Command and Operation Centre meeting that is due to take place today.

    Planning Minister Asad Umar will chair the meeting in Islamabad to decide whether the country-wide lockdown will be extended after May 9 or not. The chief ministers from all provinces will attend the meeting via video link.

    It is expected that the provinces will be told to decide on lockdown restrictions by themselves.

  • Coronavirus: ‘Pakistan to start conducting 50,000 tests a day,’ says Lt Gen Afzal

    Coronavirus: ‘Pakistan to start conducting 50,000 tests a day,’ says Lt Gen Afzal

    National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal has said that Pakistan will start conducting 50,000 coronavirus tests a day from next week as a meeting held at the National Command and Operations Centre has decided that virus detection kits would be provided to all departments concerned at the earliest.

    Speaking to journalists, the NDMA chairman said that earlier only those who showed symptoms of the coronavirus were being tested, but the authorities are now shifting to randomised testing for effective implementation of the government’s plans to curb the menace of COVID-19 that has so far claimed 251 lives in Pakistan and left over 12,000 people sick across the country.

    Lt Gen Afzal added that 800,000 testing kits were available and efforts were being made to procure more.

    On April 11, the NDMA received a medical consignment from China consisting of 59 ventilators, about 936 kilogrammes (kg) of surgical masks, protective suits, safety lenses, thermometers, and 1,720 kg of unstitched cloth for surgical gowns, all of which were distributed among provinces.

    Meanwhile, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has instructed the military to help civilian administration during the holy month of Ramzan that has arrived amid the global coronavirus pandemic.  

    “COAS held a special conference at General Headquarters (GHQ) today where the overview of the coronavirus deployment and situation was taken into account. COAS instructed all commanders to ensures border security and carry out routine activities as per schedule,” the military spokesperson said while addressing a press conference on Friday.

    “The army chief gave the instruction to work with civil authorities to ease the difficulties being faced by the people during Ramzan,” he said.

  • VIDEO: Pakistan opens up first coronavirus drive-thru screening, testing facility

    VIDEO: Pakistan opens up first coronavirus drive-thru screening, testing facility

    The Sindh government has opened up Pakistan’s first drive-through coronavirus screening and testing facility in Karachi, as part of its attempts to stem the spread of the pandemic in the province, where the toll is rising, AFP reported.

    Established in the Jahangir Kothari Parade area of Clifton, the testing centre will enable suspected patients to get themselves tested without having to wait in long hospital queues.

    The doctors, paramedical staff and other personnel deployed at the facility have been provided with all the necessary protective equipment and gear to safeguard against the virus, a press release said.

    According to the Sindh government, people who visit the testing station will be registered and given a number, but for the test to be conducted, they should possess a travel history or certain symptoms of the virus.

  • How to get yourself tested for coronavirus in Pakistan

    With the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — reaching 94 in Pakistan as Sindh alone reports a surge of 41 new cases on Monday, efforts are being made by the federal as well as all provincial governments to contain the outbreak that has claimed at least 6,000 lives globally.

    COVID-19, which belongs to a family of viruses that include the common cold and more serious diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), has a wide range of symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties.

    If you feel like you have any of the symptoms, here’s how you can get yourself tested in Pakistan:

    • Visit a government-designated public or private hospital. According to Dawn, Dr Mumtaz Ali Khan of the National Institute of Health (NIH) has said that all district headquarters hospitals and tertiary care hospitals across the country are equipped to collect samples for coronavirus.
    • At the hospital, a doctor will check the patient for symptoms to determine if he or she has coronavirus, according to NIH Executive Director Maj Gen Aamir Ikram.
    • The patient will be asked a set of questions regarding their travel history as well as of those they have been in close contact with.
    • If the doctor rules out suspicion of coronavirus, the patient will be sent back.
    • If the doctor comes to the conclusion that the patient is manifesting symptoms, a swab of their saliva is taken and sent to one of the designated facilities that have coronavirus testing equipment.
    • This testing will be done free of cost.

    While some private labs are independently testing individuals for the virus against a fee, here’s a list of facilities sending samples to the main centres for free testing. The free facilities will, however, not conduct tests themselves on individual requests.

    SINDH:

    • Chandka Medical College Hospital – Larkana
    • Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College – Sukkur
    • Peoples Medical University Hospital – Nawabshah
    • Civil Hospital – Karachi
    • Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre – Karachi
    • Lyari General Hospital – Karachi
    • Indus Hospital – Karachi
    • Aga Khan Hospital – Karachi
    • Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha – Karachi
    • District Health Offices (DHOs) all over the province

    PUNJAB:

    • Services Hospital – Lahore
    • Nishtar Hospital – Multan
    • Benazir Hospital – Rawalpindi

    AZAD JAMMU & KASHMIR:

    • Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan Hospital – Muzaffarabad
    • Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences – Muzaffarabad
    • Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan Hospital – Rawalakot
    • Divisional Headquarters Hospital – Mirpur
    • District Headquarters Hospital – Kotli

    GILGIT BALTISTAN:

    • In Gilgit-Baltistan, citizens can contact district health authorities who will come to their homes to collect samples

    KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA:

    • In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Police Services Hospital has been made the main centre for dealing with coronavirus cases

    Meanwhile, the federal health ministry has set up 1166 as its coronavirus hotline.