Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations children’s agency kicked off a polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan on Monday, the first nationwide campaign to fight the disease in three years. Naikwali Shah Momim, the National Emergency Operations Coordinator for the polio programme at Afghanistan’s health ministry, told Reuters the campaign had started in various parts of the country on Monday, …

ISLAMABAD: The Taliban-run Afghan public health ministry announced on Sunday the start of a four-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating children under age five. The four-day campaign will start on Monday (today) and take place countrywide. For the past three years before taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban had barred UN-organised vaccination teams from doing door-to-door campaigns in …

LAHORE: Following the special directives of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, the Punjab government has extended the contracts of ad hoc doctors for one year. The Punjab government has given relief to the ad hoc doctors following CM Usman Buzdar’s order by extending their contracts for one year. The move will benefit more than 4,000 doctors hired on an ad hoc …

NEW DELHI: India’s capital was blanketed by toxic air on Saturday as pollution levels remained dangerously high for a second day after revellers defied a fireworks ban during a major Hindu festival and farmers in nearby states burnt stubble. New Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 456 on a scale of 500, indicating “severe” pollution conditions that can …

ISLAMABAD: While 11 patients succumbed to Covid-19 and 567 people got infected during the last 24 hours, the number of coronavirus cases has decreased 10 times since August this year. In another development, the department, which handles campaigns against poliovirus, dismissed a worker on charges of sexual harassment. Covid-19 has largely been controlled through the collective efforts of decision-makers from …

NEW YORK: Pfizer’s experimental antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 cut by 89 percent the chances of hospitalisation or death for adults at risk of severe disease, the company said on Friday, as its CEO vowed to make this promising new weapon in the fight against the pandemic available globally as quickly as possible. The trial’s results suggest that the oral …

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has declared Rawalpindi Medical University (RMC) as best national university by excelling in National Licensing Examination (NLE). “The student who topped NLE was Dr Hamza from Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU), which reflects excellent training and teaching at RMU followed by Wah Medical College (WMC). “Secondly, RMU declared the best center for NLE out of all …

RAWALPINDI: The Civil Aviation Authority issued a notice to all airmen (NOTAM) on Thursday in response to a decision of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to allow international flight operations at full capacity. “Government of Pakistan is pleased to allow 100 per cent international passenger flight operations to and from all airports with effect from November 10, 2021 …

A trial of Pfizer’s experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 was stopped early after the drug was shown to cut by 89% the chances of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of developing severe disease, the company said on Friday. The results appear to surpass those seen with Merck’s pill, molnupiravir, which was shown last month to halve the likelihood …

ISLAMABAD: While the government has set a target of fully vaccinating 70 million people against Covid-19 by the end of this year, the national average of vaccination has reached 48 per cent with Punjab becoming the first province where more than half the population has received at least one dose. According to an official statement, a session of the National …