Tag: COVID Watch

Gallup Pakistan survey involving 1,000 participants found that 49% of respondents preferred not to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus disease. Federal Minister for Planning and NCOC head Asad Umar on Wednesday stated that Pakistan would begin vaccinating its frontline healthcare workers from next week. SAPM on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan stated that government-backed vaccines would be free for citizens.

Sindh establishes 14 vaccination facilities, 9 of which have been set up in Karachi, ahead of the first shipment of Sinopharm vaccine expected to arrive by the end of February. Eight teachers in various schools in Lahore, and 21 students and three teachers in schools in Faisalabad were found positive for COVID-19 via randomized testing. The Punjab government has sent examples of five returnees from the UK to the NIH to determine the presence of the B.1.1.7 virus variant

DRAP approves Russia's Sputnik-V for emergency use, meanwhile provinces inform NCOC that staff at teaching hospitals, and district and tehsil headquarters hospitals are nearing completion of their COVID-19 vaccination training. Researchers at the Montreal Heart institute find that colchicine helps significantly reduce the risk of developing complications and dying from COVID-19. Moderna finds its vaccine can protect against the UK and South African coronavirus variants

Peshawar accounts for half of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's COVID-19 fatalities. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying states that the Chinese government is coordinating with firms to expedite vaccine exports to Pakistan. US health authorities claims that severe allergic reactions to Moderna's coronavirus vaccine are rare

China to gift Pakistan 500,000 vials of Sinopharm vaccine as goodwill gesture by end of January, reveals Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi; Punjab Secondary Education Department carries out regular randomized testing in schools ahead of meeting to decide reopening primary and middle schools; Sputnik-V approaches DRAP for registration of vaccine which boasts 73 to 85 percent efficacy

Convalescent plasma therapy found ineffective in combating South African COVID-19 variant, raising concerns as to the efficacy of existing vaccines in protecting against this new strain; Oxford-AstraZeneca expected to cost Pakistan $6 to $7 per vial, however supply schedule unavailable as India is the sole manufacturer and supplier of the British vaccine in the region; government talks with Sinopharm and CanSinoBIO now at advanced levels

HRCP calls on federal government to provide COVID-19 vaccines to low-income citizens at subsidized rate, terms inoculation of all citizens the government's responsibility; South African coronavirus variant 510Y.V2 found to be 50 percent more contagious than previous virus types; Sindh to raise Rs. 1.5 billion to procure AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines

Sinopharm second vaccine after Oxford-AstraZeneca to be approved by DRAP for emergency use; KP health department resumes on-campus randomized testing of teachers, students and school staff; lockdowns imposed in 17 areas of Lahore and three areas in Gujranwala and Wazirabad tehsils.

Lockdowns in five Peshawar localities imposed on Saturday; Pakistan to register more vaccines in the coming weeks, registers Oxford-AstraZeneca with DRAP for emergency use; NCOC head and Federal Minister for Development Asad Umar confirms provinces and private sector can procure DRAP-approved vaccines freely.

SAPM on Health confirms Pakistan yet to place order for vaccines; moderate humidity and cold weather may be accelerating COVID-19 transmission in Karachi; WHO conducts coronavirus management training for healthcare professionals in Peshawar's major hospitals.