web analytics

ARY NEWS

Jahangir Khan

  • Covid-19 third wave: NCOC issues Ramazan guidelines

    Covid-19 third wave: NCOC issues Ramazan guidelines

    ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday issued Ramazan guidelines to be implemented during congregational prayers and Taraveeh in mosques in order to stem the spread of coronavirus, ARY News reported.

    The guidelines were issued after the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony announced that mosques will remain open across the country during Ramazan with the complete observation of SOPs against the coronavirus.

    • Carpet or rugs will not be spread/laid in Mosques or Imambargahs, prayers will be offered on the bare floors.
    • Clean chairs can be used if the floor is earthen.
    • If people wish to bring their own prayer mats from home, they can do so.
    • Before and after the prayers, people should avoid gathering in crowds.
    • In mosques and Imambargahs, where there is a courtyard, prayers will be offered not inside but in the courtyard.
    • Those older than 50 years, adolescent children and those suffering from flu, cough, etc should not come to mosques or imambargahs.
    • Taraweeh will be observed within the boundaries of the mosques or imambargahs.
    • Praying on roads and footpaths will be avoided. An attached map should be useful in this connection.
    • The floors of the mosques and imambargahs should be cleaned with Chlorine solution in water.
    • The same solution should be used to wipe the chatais before namaz.
    • Rows of the praying individuals should be aligned so that there is a distance of 6 feet between individuals.
    • Mosques/ imambargahs should constitute committees consisting of responsible individuals who will ensure the adherence to precautionary measures.
    • People should come to the mosque or imambargahs after doing ablution and washing hands with soap for 20 seconds.
    • It is obligatory that mask is worn before coming to mosque or imambargah and not to shake hands or hug anyone in the mosque.
    • Avoid touching the face. This can be done after washing hands after returning home.
    • In the current situation, it is better that Aitikaf is performed at home.
    • Sehr and iftar should not be arranged at the mosque or the imambargah.
    • The administration of mosques, imambargahs, imams and khateebs should communicate and collaborate with the district and provincial authorities and the police.
    • The administrations of the mosques and the imambargahs are being given permission conditional upon observation of these precautionary measures.
    • Government can review and change any part of its policy on mosques during Ramazan.

    Read More: Mosques to remain open in Pakistan during Ramazan

  • Provinces given doses of Sinopham, CanSino COVID vaccines

    Provinces given doses of Sinopham, CanSino COVID vaccines

    ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday has provided more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the various parts of the country, ARY News reported, citing sources.

    Overall 4,52000 COVID-19 vaccine shots of Sinopham and CanSino have been provided to Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

    The vaccine jabs were dispatched to provinces in the cold-chain containers via road and by air, the sources said.

    Punjab has been provided overall 100,000 vaccine shots including 80,000 jabs of Sinopham and 20,000 doses of single-shot covid-vaccine CanSino, while Sindh has been given 1,12,000 vaccine jabs including 100,000 of Sinopham and 12,000 CanSino.

    Moreover, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been supplied 50,000 doses of Sinopham and 9,000 doses of CanSino vaccines, Balochistan 23,000 (including 20,000 Sinopham and 3,000 CanSino doses), Islamabad 23,000 (including 20,000 Sinopham and 3,000 CanSino doses), Azad Kashmir 23,000 ( (including 20,000 Sinopham and 3,000 CanSino doses) and Gilgit-Baltistan region have been provided with 12,000 doses of Sinopham and CanSino covid vaccines.

    Read more: SAPM Faisal says provinces free to procure Covid-19 vaccines

    Earlier this week, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan had said that provinces were free to import Covid-19 vaccines.

    Taking to Twitter, the SAPM had said that ” there is no NOC requirement or any NOC pending or bar for any provincial government to procure coronavirus vaccines.”

  • 108 children contract coronavirus in Islamabad in a day

    108 children contract coronavirus in Islamabad in a day

    ISLAMABAD: The District Health Officer (DHO) Office has confirmed that 108 children aged up to 10 years have contracted novel coronavirus in Islamabad during the past 24 hours, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

    Overall 5,726 children aged up to 10 years were tested positive for COVID-19, whereas, 5,343 teenagers aged from 11 years to 20 years were infected with the virus.

    The statistics of COVID-19 cases with separate age groups in Islamabad further showed that the coronavirus-positive people aged 21-30 years were recorded up to 11,734 and 16,429 are those aged between 31 to 45 years.

    Read: Alarming trend of COVID-19 cases among children emerges in Islamabad

    11,074 patients of coronavirus are aged between 46 and 60 years, whereas, the coronavirus affected 5,913 people aged 61-80 years and 539 aged more than 81 years.

    Earlier in the day, The latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed coronavirus claimed 78 more lives in Pakistan during the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 14,434.

    The COVID-19 has claimed 78 more lives and 4,757 fresh infections were reported during the period.

    During the period of a day, the total count of active cases was recorded at 50,397 and the positivity rate stood at 10.8 per cent.

    Read: COVID-19 pandemic has cut parents’ access to hospitalized children

    The health facilities across the country conducted 43,965 coronavirus detection tests, taking the total number of COVID-19 tests to 10,197,329 since the first case was reported.

    According to the statistics, 27 patients were declared critical, adding to the total number of patients suffering from sensitive health condition up to 3,197.

    Overall 603,126 people have recovered from the virus including 2,848 who have regained their health from COVID-19 during the past 24 hours.

  • Pakistan receives first shipment of single-dose CanSino vaccine

    Pakistan receives first shipment of single-dose CanSino vaccine

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday received its first purchase of 60,000 doses of a Chinese CanSino Biologics Inc’s coronavirus vaccine, ARY News reported.

    A plane carrying as many as 60,000 doses of single-dose CanSino Biologics vaccine arrived at the Islamabad International Airport.

    The shipment was supposed to arrive in Pakistan on March 26 but got delayed due to some inevitable circumstances. The fifth batch of Sinopharm vaccine will be brought to Pakistan on a special aircraft on March 31.

    Pakistan has purchased 60,000 doses of single-dose CanSino vaccine and one million doses of Sinopharm vaccine.

    The sources said Pakistan had asked China for one million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Thus far, three batches containing 1.5 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine, donated by China, have been brought to the country.

    Also Read: Sindh govt to purchase 5 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccine: health minister

    Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar revealed on Tuesday that Pakistan will be getting bulk Covid-19 vaccine from China’s CanSino Biologics by mid-April.

    “We will be getting bulk vaccine by mid April from cansino from which 3 million vaccine doses can be made,” he tweeted.

    “The bulk vaccine received will be formulated, sterilized and packed in Pakistan. For this purpose special equipment has been procured and manpower is being trained,” Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said.

  • NCOC imposes more Covid restrictions, all commercial activities to close at 8pm

    NCOC imposes more Covid restrictions, all commercial activities to close at 8pm

    ISLAMABAD: In view of the surge in coronavirus cases in the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Monday imposed more restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases in the country, ARY News reported.

    A meeting of the NCOC was held under the chairmanship of the Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar in which all the Provincial Chief Secretaries participated through video link.

    The NCOC expressed grave concern over the Covid-19 situation and decided to take drastic measures in the worst Covid affected cities.

    The meeting decided that cities with an 8% positive case rate would be declared high risk.

    Read: COVID-19: Pakistan witnesses 3,669 new cases, 20 deaths in a day

    According to the NCOC statement, the affected districts will have two days off per week while the days of leave will be decided at the provincial discretion. Public and private offices and court staff will work with 50 percent of staff.

    According to a notification issued in this regard, the following measures will be taken:

    • Indoor dining will be prohibited
    • All sports, festivals will be totally banned
    • Shrines, cinemas, parks and music centers shut down
    • All indoor activities/marriages will be prohibited.
    • Outdoor activities with a maximum of 300 people will be allowed till 8pm
    • 50 percent work from home policy will be continued
    • Intercity public transport to operate at 50% of capacity
    • Rail service to operate at 70% of capacity
    • The shops which are necessary will remain open for 24 hours

    Read: NCOC to decide about closure of educational institutions on March 24

    These restrictions will be continued till 11th April 2021. The next meeting of NCOC will be held on April 7 to review the situation of coronavirus in the country.

    Pakistan Covid cases

    Coronavirus has claimed 20 more lives in Pakistan during the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 13,863.

    The latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed the COVID-19 has claimed 20 more lives and 3,669 fresh infections were reported during the period.

    The total count of active cases is 33,070. The positivity ratio was recorded at 8.43 per cent during the past one day.

    On the other hand, Pakistan will receive the fourth shipment of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine this month.

    The sources said the shipment containing 60,000 doses of CanSino Biologics COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in Islamabad on March 26 while the fifth batch of the vaccine will reach the country on March 31.

  • Fed cabinet approves prices of two Covid vaccines imported by private sector

    Fed cabinet approves prices of two Covid vaccines imported by private sector

    ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has approved a summary regarding prices of COVID-19 vaccines- Chinese and Russian doses- to be imported by the private sector after a recommendation from the health ministry following approval from the DRAP, ARY NEWS reported.

    The health ministry has suggested a proposal allowing the private sector to import the COVID-19 vaccine.

    The health ministry recommended the price of two anti-COVID jabs of the Russian vaccine be set at Rs 8,449. The packet containing four doses of Sputnik-V is set at Rs 16,560 while 10 and 20 doses would be available at Rs40,555 and Rs 81,110 respectively after approval from the federal cabinet.

    On the other hand, the single-shot COVID vaccine from China- Convidencia- would cost Rs4,225.

    Two Pharmaceutical companies are importing vaccines from abroad with one hailing from Karachi importing the Russian vaccine while the Chinese vaccine would be imported by a multi-national pharma company.

    The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has determined how much Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine imported by the private sector is to cost in the country.

    Sources with knowledge of the matter told ARY News on Sunday that the drug regulator’s processing board in a meeting held on March 19 recommended fixing the price of two doses of the Russian vaccine between Rs8,200 and Rs9,000.

    A Karachi-based pharmaceutical company received the first consignment of Russian made Sputnik-V vaccine earlier this week. An official of the private firm said that the price of the vaccine will be fixed by the government soon.

    The Covid-19 vaccines would remain stored at the cold storage till approval of the price by the government. The registration process of the company’s corona vaccination centres has also been underway, Dr. Umar Chughtai said.

    The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had granted approval to Russian vaccine for Covid-19, for emergency use in February.

    Sputnik V is one of four vaccines approved for emergency use in Pakistan, in addition to those by China’s Sinopharm and CanSinoBio, and the AstraZeneca-Oxford University shot.

  • Pakistan establishing cold-chain storage system for COVID-19 vaccines

    Pakistan establishing cold-chain storage system for COVID-19 vaccines

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will complete the installation of a modern ultra-cold storage system for COVID-19 vaccines next week, citing sources, ARY News reported on Saturday.

    The federal government has taken emergency measures to curb the spread of coronavirus during its third wave in Pakistan and expedited the installation process of the cold-chain storage system.

    The ultra-cold chain storage system is being established in 15 cities that will be completed next week.

    In the federal capital, three ultra-cold freezers will be installed. Two freezers will be installed in the federal Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) and National Institute of Health (NIH) and one in Tarlai Rural Health Centre.

    pakistan cold-chain storage system ultra-cold freezers covid-19 vaccine

    The specialised freezers will be kept in five cities of Punjab province including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan and Gujranwala.

    Read: Hospitals dealing with influx of COVID-19 patients, cautions Dr Faisal

    In Sindh, the freezers will be kept in the port city Karachi and Hyderabad, whereas, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), it will be installed in Peshawar, Swat and Abbottabad. The freezers will be installed in Balochistan capital Quetta too, sources said.

    It has been decided to install two ultra-cold freezers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)’s Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, as well as one in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The modern ultra-cold freezers for COVID-19 vaccines had been provided by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

    The modern storage containers will be used for storing the Pfizer vaccines which need ultra-low temperatures up to -80 degrees. The cold chain system in Pakistan has a capacity of -20 degrees to store temperature-sensitive commodities.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Pfizer Covid vaccines are likely to arrive in Pakistan during the next three months.

  • Special plane to bring 0.5 mln COVID-19 vaccine from China

    Special plane to bring 0.5 mln COVID-19 vaccine from China

    ISLAMABAD: A special plane carrying 0.5 million COVID-19 vaccines has departed from China which would land in Islamabad on Wednesday evening, citing sources, ARY News reported.

    The Sinopharm vaccines are being brought to Pakistan through a special plane from China, sources told ARY News.

    Earlier on Tuesday, it emerged that Pakistan had purchased the coronavirus vaccines for the first time and the first batch of 0.5 million Sinopharm vaccines will arrive in the country from China.

    Read: How elderly people could register for anti-COVID vaccine

    The Sinopharm vaccines had been purchased at a discounted price following an agreement with the Chinese pharmaceutical company.

    The first batch of the purchased 0.5 million coronavirus vaccines will arrive in Pakistan today as the Chinese pharmaceutical company will supply the vaccines in phases.

    The National Institute of Health (NIH) had earlier obtained permission for the emergency use of Sinopharm vaccines in Pakistan. Sinopharm vaccines are already being administered to frontline health workers and elderly citizens aged above 60 in Pakistan.

    Read: Pakistan to receive 10 million doses of Covid vaccine

    Following the ongoing vaccination drive, Sinopharm vaccines are proved effective and successful in Pakistan, sources added.

    Moreover, Pakistan is holding negotiations with another Chinese pharmaceutical firm CanSino for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

    China had earlier gifted 1 million doses of Sinopharm vaccines to Pakistan including 500,000 vials for frontline health workers and 500,000 doses for Pakistan Army. However, the Pakistan Army had voluntarily handed over the share of vaccines to frontline health workers.

  • 0.5 mln COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in Pakistan

    0.5 mln COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in Pakistan

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has purchased the coronavirus vaccines for the first time and the first batch of 0.5 million Sinopharm vaccines will arrive in the country from China, citing sources, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

    Sources told ARY News that Pakistan has purchased the Sinopharm vaccines at a discounted price following an agreement with the Chinese pharmaceutical company.

    The first batch of the purchased 0.5 million coronavirus vaccines will arrive in Pakistan as the Chinese pharmaceutical company will supply the vaccines in phases.

    The National Institute of Health (NIH) had earlier obtained permission for the emergency use of Sinopharm vaccines in Pakistan. Sinopharm vaccines are already being administered to frontline health workers and elderly citizens aged above 60 in Pakistan.

    Read: China’s Sinopharm vaccine safe, effective: SAPM

    Following the ongoing vaccination drive, Sinopharm vaccines are proved effective and successful in Pakistan, sources added.

    Moreover, Pakistan is holding negotiations with another Chinese pharmaceutical firm CanSino for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

    China had earlier gifted 1 million doses of Sinopharm vaccines to Pakistan including 500,000 vials for frontline health workers and 500,000 doses for Pakistan Army. However, the Pakistan Army had voluntarily handed over the share of vaccines to frontline health workers.

    Covax scheme

    On March 3, the Covax scheme had announced that Pakistan, Nigeria and Indonesia will be among the biggest recipients of free Covid-19 vaccines before June — more than 10 million doses each.

    Read: How elderly people could register for anti-COVID vaccine

    Some 238.2 million doses will be distributed around the world by the end of May through the programme aimed at boosting access to coronavirus jabs in poorer nations.

    Though vaccination campaigns have gathered pace globally, the majority of injections have been administered in wealthier countries while many nations have yet to receive a single dose.

    The Covax scheme, aimed ensuring equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines, on Tuesday outlined plans to deliver to 142 countries and territories by May 31, in its first wave of distribution.

    The five biggest confirmed recipients are Pakistan (14,640,000 doses), Nigeria (13,656,000), Indonesia (11,704,800), Bangladesh (10,908,000) and Brazil (9,122,400).

    Read: WHO urges world not to halt vaccinations as AstraZeneca shot divides Europe

    They are followed by Ethiopia (7,620,000), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5,928,000), Mexico (5,532,000), Egypt (4,389,600) and Vietnam (4,176,000).

    Iran, Myanmar, Kenya and Uganda are also in line for more than three million doses each.

    Overall by the end of May, India is likely to be the biggest recipient of Covax doses, but its allocation was not finalised before the publication of the distribution list on Tuesday.

    The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is meanwhile set to receive the smallest number of doses at 4,800, followed by Nauru and Monaco with 7,200 each.

  • Walk-in COVID vaccination facility for citizens over 70 years from tomorrow

    Walk-in COVID vaccination facility for citizens over 70 years from tomorrow

    ISLAMABAD: In the wake of the third wave of coronavirus, the federal government has decided to provide a walk-in COVID vaccination facility to the citizens over 70 years, ARY News reported, citing sources. 

    The facility will be available for citizens across the country from March 16. Sources privy to the development said that Pakistani nationals over the age of 70 years can get themselves vaccinated against the pandemic from any of the vaccination centre.

    In this regard, the provinces have been directed to ensure the arrangements for the walk-in vaccination drive and availability of the vaccine at the centres.

    Meanwhile, the vaccination of the age group of over 60 years will continue as per schedule.

    Earlier, Parliamentary Secretary of National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid said the UK variant of COVID-19 is spreading in the country’s big cities.

    Read more: ‘UK COVID-19 variant spreading in Pakistan’s big cities’

    Speaking during ARY News’ morning programme Bakhabar Savera, she said the positivity ratio of coronavirus cases has doubled over the past few weeks. She stressed that the people will have to adhere to precautionary measures, including wearing mask in public places, to keep the deadly infection at bay.