Health

ISLAMABAD: The lowest number of deaths and cases of coronavirus infections was reported on Tuesday in the country for over eight months. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 27 deaths and 663 cases of Covid-19 were reported in a single day. On October 20 last year, 660 cases were reported. The number of active cases, which had …

Suspected Taliban fighters fired a rocket into a hospital in Afghanistan on Wednesday, sparking a blaze that caused extensive damage and destroyed Covid-19 vaccines though there were no reports of casualties, government officials said. In northern Afghanistan, the Taliban captured the town of Shir Khan Bandar, a dry port on the border with Tajikistan, sending customs workers and members of …

COVID-19 therapies made from a cocktail of two types of antibodies were effective against a wide range of variants of the coronavirus in a mice and hamster study, the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reported on Monday. Antibodies are used to treat cases of COVID-19, often early in the process. Former U.S. President Donald Trump was treated …

JAKARTA: Indonesia passed two million coronavirus cases on Monday as infection rates soar and hospitals are flooded with new patients, prompting warnings that the Southeast Asian nation’s health crisis could spiral out of control. The unwanted milestone came after daily case rates more than doubled in recent weeks and authorities identified the presence of highly infectious Covid-19 variants. On Monday, …

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced resumption of direct flights to Toronto, Canada. A PIA spokesman said on Monday that Canadian officials had allowed PIA to resume flights to Toronto. Operations had earlier been restricted to cargo only on Pakistan to Canada routes due to surge in Covid-19 cases. However, other travel related advisories pertaining to Canada will remain …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday signed an agreement with Pfizer Pakistan under which it would receive 13 million doses of the American vaccine. On the other hand, over 600 diplomats from 57 countries have been vaccinated at the National Institute of Health (NIH). According to a statement issued by a publicity firm, the agreement was signed by Pfizer Pakistan and the …

BEIJING: China on Sunday announced it had administered its one-billionth shot in the world’s biggest coronavirus inoculation drive. The global death toll from Covid-19 is now more than 3.8 million and many nations are still battling outbreaks, but vaccine drives in some countries are allowing activities that were unthinkable a few months ago. China’s vaccine milestone comes after the number …

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 …