Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Saturday that the federal government would not hold a monopoly on the import of coronavirus vaccines; adding that provinces and the private sector were free to import vaccines; subject to the approval of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap). Umar — who […]
The South African cricket team arrived in Karachi on Saturday to play two Tests and three Twenty20 internationals on their first tour of Pakistan in 14 years. The team, led by wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock; was whisked from the airport under state-head level security accorded by the hosts, the Pakistan Cricket Board. The 21-member squad […]
Despite a steady rise in coronavirus cases, Pakistan has launched a five-day vaccination campaign against polio amid tight security, hoping to eradicate the crippling children’s disease this year. The drive is the first anti-polio campaign in 2021. The previous campaign took place last August – during a brief decline in fatalities and infections from the […]
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says he is “very disappointed” that China has still not approved the entry of a team of international experts tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus, as some countries grapple with the increasing burden of the pandemic. Two members of the 10-strong international team had already […]
Indonesia will begin its nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program on January 13; with President Joko Widodo set to be given the first jab, made by China’s Sinovac Biotech. The mass inoculation program will begin in the capital, Jakarta; Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin announced on Tuesday; while vaccinations in other regions will follow on January […]
The country’s education ministers, in a meeting on Monday, decided to reopen educational institutions in the country in phases from January 18. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad after the meeting; Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that in the first phase; classes nine to 12 would be allowed to resume from Jan 18. He […]
India has authorized the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and by local pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech, according to the country’s drug regulator. At a news briefing on Sunday, Drugs Controller General Dr. Venugopal G Somani said both vaccines would be administered in two doses. “The… vaccines of Serum […]
Authorities in China have given conditional approval for general public use of a coronavirus vaccine developed by state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm. The move came a day after the firm said interim data; showed its leading vaccine had a 79% efficacy rate in phase three trials, without providing more details. Several Chinese-made vaccines at a late trial […]
The World Health Organization has listed Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use; a critical step that the United Nations health agency said aims to make the vaccine more readily available in developing nations. In a statement on Thursday, WHO said its validation of the Pfizer-BioNTech– the first since the start of the pandemic – “opens […]
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), and National Information Technology Board (NITB) has developed a National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) to ensure efficient supply chain management and administration of the Covid-19 vaccine. However, the system will enable automated phase-wise registration of […]
