Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday it hoped that Covid-19 would no longer be a public health emergency in 2023, as it urged China to share information that could pinpoint how the pandemic started. As the third anniversary of the original outbreak rolls around, the WHO said the virus was here to stay but would need managing alongside other …

BEIJING: China’s top health body said on Wednesday the true scale of coronavirus infections in the country is now “impossible” to track, with officials warning cases are rising rapidly in Beijing after the government abruptly abandoned its zero-Covid policy. Beijing’s decision to scrap mass testing and quarantines after nearly three years of attempting to stamp out the virus has led …

KHYBER: The polio workers posted at the Torkham border went on strike on Wednesday and stopped administering vaccine to Afghan children to press the authorities for acceptance of their demands. The 84 protesting polio workers including 12 female staffers have been stationed at Torkham border crossing to vaccinate Afghan children against polio upon their entry to Pakistan. They demanded payment …

China’s top health body said on Wednesday the true scale of coronavirus infections in the country is now “impossible” to track, with officials warning cases are rising rapidly in Beijing after the government abruptly abandoned its zero-Covid policy last week. After nearly three years of attempting to stamp out the virus, the sudden end of mass testing and quarantines has led …

KARACHI: People willing to travel abroad from Sindh are facing difficulties as the province has run out of the Pfizer Covid vaccine, confirmed EPI Sindh on Tuesday. Accrding to the director xpanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), the stock of Pfizer vaccine in the province has ended and the people willing to travel abroad are facing difficulties in getting their visas. …

ISLAMABAD: The National Polio Lab (NPL) has confirmed polio virus in environmental samples in Bannu, citing sources. Polio virus has been found in sewage sample from Bannu’s Muslimabad Sokarai area. Type-1 wild poliovirus has been detected in environmental samples in Bannu, sources said. The NPL has detected Polio virus for the 11th time this year in samples collected from Bannu. …

China said on Monday it would retire an app used to track Covid-19 contacts, a milestone in the country’s rapid turn away from its zero-tolerance coronavirus strategy. The state-run “Communications Itinerary Card”, which tracks whether someone has been to a high-risk area based on their phone signal, will go offline at 12 am Tuesday, according to an official WeChat post, …

ISLAMABAD: The government has announced Rs250 million as compensation for 12,500 polio workers who were affected by the recent catastrophic floods. In a statement, federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel hailed the services of polio workers, who despite suffering losses due to the catastrophic floods, continued to assist with relief activities. “I salute your courage and passion. Despite suffering losses, …

One of China’s top health experts has warned of a surge in Covid-19 cases, state media said on Sunday, in the wake of the government’s decision to abandon its hardline coronavirus strategy. Shops and restaurants in Beijing are deserted as the country awaits a spike in infections following the decision to reduce the scope of mandatory testing, allow some positive cases …

Gavi, which co-leads the Covax global vaccine distribution programme, decided Thursday to begin winding down the project that has shipped nearly two billion Covid jabs in under two years. Gavi said its board agreed during a two-day meeting in Geneva this week to phase out Covax after 2023, but to continue providing Covid jabs after that to poorer countries through …