Health

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil on Saturday became the second country after the United States to surpass 500,000 Covid-19 deaths as the South American giant grapples with a third wave of the pandemic. “500,000 lives lost due to the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the world,” Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tweeted. The Health Ministry reported 500,800 deaths, including 2,301 in …

BAHAWALPUR: A local firm has allegedly defrauded the health department of almost Rs10 million by supplying 18 ‘substandard’ ultrasound machines meant for the rural health centres in the district. It is learnt that the health authorities advertised for the supply of 18 US made ultrasound machines and a firm supplied the equipment of Chinese company by affixing the tag of …

ISLAMABAD: Expressing concerns over the reports coming from various parts of the country regarding shortage of Covid-19 vaccine, major opposition parties — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — on Sunday accused the government of committing a “criminal negligence” and called for audit of the coronavirus funds. PML-N president and Leader of the Opposition in the …

SAO PAULO: Brazil’s death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 500,000 on Saturday as experts warn that the world’s second-deadliest outbreak may worsen due to delayed vaccinations and the government’s refusal to back social distancing measures. Only 11% of Brazilians have been fully vaccinated and epidemiologists warn that, with winter arriving in the southern hemisphere and new variants of the coronavirus circulating, …

  ISLAMABAD: Amid rising complaints about shortage of Covid-19 vaccines across the country, opposition PML-N has criticised the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for delay in procurement of vaccine while the government claims that one million doses are available and more are due over the next few days. Major vaccination centres in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi have either suspended vaccination or slowed …

LAHORE: Scores of people on Saturday broke open the main gate of Expo Centre and entered it’s premises after the administration stopped inoculation due to shortage of vaccine and made them wait outside the building for hours in the scorching heat. The charged people also broke the windowpanes of the Expo hall, to vent their anger for being denied vaccination …

RAWALPINDI: Two vaccination centres in Rawalpindi have been closed till Monday due to shortage of Covid-19 vaccines while the other three are providing only the second dose. The vaccination centres at Jan Marriage Hall and Wapda Hospital were closed after they ran short of vaccines. Many people complained that vaccines were not available even at the Fatima Jinnah Women University …

A special plane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) carrying 1.55 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine reached Islamabad from China on Sunday as the country grappled with a shortage of the anti-Covid-19 jabs. The National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) said in a statement that the batch was part of the “planned contracted quantity purchased from China”. Measures had been …

Even mild cases of COVID-19 may lead to loss of brain tissue, according to findings from a long-term study involving 782 volunteers. As part of the ongoing UK Biobank study, participants underwent brain scans before the pandemic. For a before-and-after comparison, researchers invited 394 COVID-19 survivors to come back for follow-up scans as well as 388 healthy volunteers. Most of …

JERUSALEM: The Palestinian Authority has called off an agreement whereby Israel would transfer one million doses of coronavirus vaccines to it in exchange for a similar number later this year. The PA said the doses, which Israel began shipping to the occupied West Bank on Friday, were too close to expiring. Palestinian officials had come under heavy criticism on social …