People walk at a market in eastern Pakistan's Rawalpindi
Pakistan authorities have banned all kinds of gatherings, indoor or outdoor, with immediate effect due to the 3rd Covid wave…reports Asian Lite News.
Pakistan has imposed a complete ban on public gatherings in strengthened efforts to counter the ongoing third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement from the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC).
All kinds of gatherings, indoor or outdoor, will be banned with immediate effect, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued on Sunday ass aying.
It added that the ban covers all social, cultural, political, sports and other events.
There will also be a complete ban on marriage functions, indoor or outdoor, from April 5.
However, provinces will be at liberty to implement restrictions in early time frame as per the situation on ground, said the statement.
Amid a rising number of coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had also tested positive for the virus earlier this week, on Sunday urged citizens to strictly follow the standard operating procedures as the country cannot afford a complete lockdown.
The third wave of the pandemic is more severe than the previous ones, therefore Pakistanis should strictly adhere to the health guidelines, including wearing a mask and avoiding gatherings, Khan said in a televised address to the nation.
According to data released by the NCOC on Sunday, 4,767 new confirmed coronavirus cases were reported in Pakistan in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s total tally to 654,591 with 14,215 deaths.
Chinese FM pointed out that the cooperation between China and the UAE are based on mutual trust and deep-rooted traditional friendship…reports Asian Lite News
Visiting Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held a meeting with his counterpart of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, during which the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in varied fields.
Noting that the two peoples are “good friends, good partners and good brothers,” Wang stressed that the relations between China and the UAE are based on high level of mutual trust and deep-rooted traditional friendship.
China supports the UAE in safeguarding its national security and stability, independently exploring a development path in line with its own national conditions, combating religious extremism, and playing a positive role in international and regional affairs, Wang said on Sunday.
He said that China appreciates the UAE’s strong support on the issues concerning China’s core interests.
The phase-3 trial of the Covid-19 vaccine, jointly carried out by China and the UAE, has set a record for multi-nationality and large-scale clinical trials, and made important contribution to promoting international anti-coronavirus cooperation, the Chinese diplomat said, adding that China is willing to continuously innovate the models and expand the scope of cooperation with the UAE.
Wang said that China is willing to work with the UAE to enhance connectivity of the Belt and Road Initiative and the UAE’s 50-year national development plan, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in such fields as energy, high and new technologies, finance and investment, and jointly promote international mutual recognition of health code.
The two sides also need to strengthen cooperation in anti-terrorism and de-radicalization, Wang said, adding that China will offer full support for the UAE to host the World Expo in Dubai and will work with all parties to ensure the success of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
Wang said China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the UAE in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, jointly safeguard true multilateralism, promote democratization of international relations, support diversity of civilizations, give play to the central role of the United Nations, and defend the authority of international law and international treaties.
China and Arab states have reached an agreement on jointly proposing a data security cooperation initiative, indicating that both sides are willing to actively participate in formulating the rules of the global digital economy, the Chinese diplomat said.
China has put forward a five-point initiative for achieving security and stability in the Middle East, and hopes that regional countries will uphold the spirit of independence, explore a security framework that meets regional needs, and find a development path that suits their national conditions, Wang added.
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, UAE
For his part, Sheikh Abdullah said the Chinese people should be proud of China’s remarkable development achievements and its success in containing the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that the UAE is also proud of having such a strategic partner as China.
He expressed the UAE’s support to the one-China policy, China’s endeavors to safeguard the diversity of world civilizations, and China’s leading role in promoting global common development.
The UAE hopes to deepen its cooperation with China in the fields such as health, agriculture, science and technology, tackling climate change, and preventing desertification to achieve mutually beneficial results, the UAE diplomat said.
He said the UAE is willing to work together with China to combat terrorism, and in particular, to make more efforts in the field of de-radicalization, so as to safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East.
Biden had initially planned to inoculate with 100 million shots in the arms of Americans in 100 days, but it has changed to 200mn…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden announceda new goal of administering 200 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Americans in his first 100 days in office.
Biden made the announcement at a press conference here on Thursday which was his first since taking office on January 20, Xinhua news agency reported.
He had initially set the plan of having 100 million shots in the arms of Americans by his 100th day in office, but is now increasing the objective to 200 million.
“I know it’s ambitious, twice our original goal, but no other country in the world has come close to what we’re doing,” Biden told reporters.
“I believe we can do it,” he added.
As of Thursday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a total of 133 million Covid-19 vaccine shots had been administered, and that 14 per cent of the American population is fully vaccinated.
The federal government has a deal with Johnson & Johnson for delivery of 200 million doses, a CNBC News report said.
The first half of that order expected by the end of June.
Merck is helping to make J&J’s shot, which is a single-dose vaccination.
The administration also has deals with drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna for a combined 600 million doses.
Her tweet comes at a time when senior citizens in India are being given the vaccine on priority…reports Asian Lite News.
As we all know, senior citizens are being vaccinated in the first phase of roll out. Veteran actress Soni Razdan tweeted that people belonging to the age group of 16 to 40 should get vaccinated for Covid-19 first, because they are the ones going out for work and other purposes.
“When it’s really the 16 to 40 age group that’s ‘socialising’ going out to work, bars, nightclubs etc (the last 2 without masks mostly) just can’t understand why they aren’t getting the vaccine first @uddhavthackeray @AUThackeray,” Razdan wrote.
When it’s really the 16 to 40 age group that’s ‘socialising’ going out to work, bars, nightclubs etc (the last 2 without masks mostly) just can’t understand why they aren’t getting the vaccine first 🙈 @uddhavthackeray@AUThackeray
Her tweet comes at a time when senior citizens in India are being given the vaccine on priority.
Soni Razan (Pallav Paliwal)
Earlier this week, Razdan tweeted sharing her thoughts on the coronavirus.
“I’m getting the feeling we are never going to be rid of this thing. We somehow need to manage to live with it without it overwhelming our lives. Even after the vaccine it’s going to mutate. I’m told to a milder version like flu. I sincerely hope so,” she wrote.
India had started one of the world’s largest evacuation operations from May 7, 2020 to bring back its stranded citizens from abroad due to Covid 19…reports Asian Lite News
India’s massive evacuation programme triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic has brought back over 6.7 million from abroad.
In a tweet, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said: “It is not just a mission that brought back stranded & distressed citizens from around the world, but Vande Bharat has been a Mission of hope & happiness; of letting people know that they will not be left behind even in the most testing times.”
“67.6 lakh& continuing to grow……”
India had commenced one of the world’s largest evacuation operations from May 7, 2020 to bring back its stranded citizens from abroad following shutting down of global travel as the Covid pandemic spread.
Vande Bharat mission(IANS)
The plan had originally envisaged to bring back more than 1,90,000 Indian nationals.
Initially, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express played a key role in the operations.
Afterwards, other air carriers were allowed to take part in the programme.
Besides, aerial evacuation, even naval ships were used to bring back Indian citizens.
TGA granted approval for the doses of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in Melbourne by biotechnology company CSL…reports Asian Lite News
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced the approval of the doses of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in Melbourne by biotechnology company CSL
Australia’s medical regulator on Monday approved the domestically-produced AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced the approval of the doses of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in Melbourne by biotechnology company CSL, reports Xinhua news agency.
In a statement it described the approval as a “critical and very exciting milestone” in Australia’s pandemic response.
AstraZeneca vaccine
“Specific approval of Australian manufacturing by TGA was required to ensure that the locally-manufactured vaccine had exactly the same composition and performance as overseas-manufactured vaccine, was made to the same quality and is free of contaminants,” it said.
Australia has agreed to acquire 53.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 50 million of which will be produced by CSL.
The TGA said that the first domestically-produced vaccines were expected to be released “in the next few days”.
Greg Hunt, the minister for health, said it was a “critical next step”.
“It means the manufacturing process for CSL has been approved, it’s safe, it’s effective,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Australia begins coronavirus vaccinations
The approval is expected to significantly accelerate the speed of the vaccine rollout in Australia.
More than 6 million Australians became eligible to receive vaccines from Monday under phase 1B of the rollout, which covers the elderly, critical workers and people with underlying health conditions.
Australia has so far reported 29,196 confirmed Covid-19 cases, while the death toll stood at 909.
Passengers wearing face masks are seen at Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany
Officials confirmed that an “emergency brake” is the need of the hour amid steep hike in Covid-19 cases…reports Asian Lite News
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will join state leaders on Monday to discuss whether a return to a harder lockdown is needed after the country surpassed a key threshold in coronavirus infection numbers.
Despite hopes for more lockdown relaxations in time for the Easter holiday weekend, which falls at the start of April this year, Germany is likely to halt its plans for reopenings after the seven-day incidence of new infections passed the critical benchmark on Sunday, reports dpa news agency.
Officials previously agreed to use an “emergency brake” and renew restrictions if the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants during the course of a week exceeded the threshold of 100 for three consecutive days.
On Sunday, this seven-day incidence figure rose to 103.9.
Government officials and state leaders, speaking online, are also set to debate the possibility of at least allowing citizens to travel to holiday homes in their own state during the Easter holidays.
As of Monday morning, Germany has reported 2,670,001 coronavirus cases and 74,715 deaths.
Pakistan is using the Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm against Covid-19 pandemic. Recently a batch of 5,00,000 doses was received in Pakistan from China…report Asianlite News.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination confirmed the development on Saturday.
Sultan said that the 68-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician has quarantined himself at home.
“PM Imran Khan has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self isolating at home,” Sultan said in a tweet.
Pakistan is using the Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm against Covid-19 pandemic. Recently a batch of 5,00,000 doses was received in Pakistan from China.
The vaccination drive in Pakistan is currently underway for senior citizens.
Modi wishes for a speedy recovery
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished speedy recovery to his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan, who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic.
As the news came out that the 68-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician had quarantined himself at home, the Prime Minister took to Twitter to wish him a speedy recovery from the deadly disease.
“Best wishes to Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI for a speedy recovery from Covid-19,” Modi tweeted.
Best wishes to Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI for a speedy recovery from COVID-19.
Khan tested positive for Covid-19 two days after receiving his first vaccine dose, government officials said on Saturday.
Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Pakistan Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination confirmed the development.
Pakistan is using the Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm against Covid-19 pandemic. Recently a batch of 5,00,000 doses was received in Pakistan from China.
People wearing face masks walk on a road in Rawalpindi of Pakistan’s Punjab province
The vaccination drive in Pakistan is currently underway for senior citizens.
Khan’s positive test comes at a time when Pakistan is seeing a steep rise in coronavirus infections.
As per the Pakistan Health Department, 3,876 people have been tested positive in the last 24 hours in the country “the highest number of daily infections since early July”, taking the total number of infections in the country past 620,000. There were also 42 more deaths, taking the total to 13,799.
Working spaces, on the other hand, have become threat-prone when you meet other people. This, to a large extent, has hampered collaborative working leading to reduced productivity of employees and a decrease in revenue of organisations…writes Siddhi Jain.
Everything in life has been adapted into a new lifestyle of post Covid era. Among the numerous challenges that businesses and organisations are facing in the post-Covid-19 world, the challenge of protecting employees and customers is the supreme concern, says Ravi Kaushik, CEO at AiRTH which is currently focusing on removal of microbial contaminants from the air to safeguard people against airborne disease transmission.
The IIT-Bombay alumnus further writes:
Almost a year ago, the notion of working from home seemed like a fascination blended with certain parts of uncertainty. Organisations all over the world have surely taken lessons from this large-scale work-from-home practice that became a norm over the months.
Now with the reopening of the economy, businesses, organisations, and other public settings need to ponder upon the existence and functioning of working and living spaces from a virus-free and pollution-free perspective. While re-establishing the businesses and co-existing spaces is at the top of the priority list, employee and customer health and safety is an equivalent too. Enhanced and monitored hygiene practices, reliable protection devices, and systematic management can help deal with the issue at hand.
Certainly, in the current phase of the global pandemic, there is a huge difference between working and living spaces. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in quite clear distinctions between the two in terms of safety. The living space, on the one hand, holds lesser chances of airborne disease transmission as you are secluded from the rest of the world and remain protected within the four walls of your homes. However, fear of indoor air pollution and pathogens has increased more than ever.
Working spaces, on the other hand, have become threat-prone when you meet other people. This, to a large extent, has hampered collaborative working leading to reduced productivity of employees and a decrease in revenue of organisations.
Indoor spaces possess higher chances of airborne disease transmission due to the accumulation of pathogens in the air. Ventilation, as matter of fact, can be a possible solution. But the unattended question remains intact. Are we up for exposing ourselves to long-term health effects due to air pollution?
Air Pollution
Therefore, clean and pathogen-free air will become a value proposition in the future. Sure, we can spot various air purifiers in the market that claim to protect from air pollution. However, they can become a source of airborne disease transmission due to the growth of pathogens inside these air purifiers. To solve this problem, the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Bombay has developed “Anti-Microbial Air Purifier” using patent filed “SAVE (Sanitizer for Airborne Virus Elimination) Technology” to protect from air pollutants as well as pathogens in the air by real-time deactivation.
These antimicrobial air purifiers by AiRTH function on the DCD (Deactivate-Capture-Deactivate) mechanism. It first deactivates the airborne pathogens via inflight deactivation followed by capturing of viruses and fine particles. Then deactivation of airborne and trapped pathogens takes place by providing sufficient residence time and exposure within the antimicrobial air purifier. Lastly, clean and pathogen-free air is given out into the indoor space.
With support from SIIC, IIT Kanpur, AiRTH deployed its antimicrobial air purifiers at various organisations like offices and co-working spaces during the peak months of the Covid-19 pandemic. The technology, proudly developed in India, is resolved to enable businesses and organisations to revive in the post-Covid world. With a larger picture added to its roadmap, AiRTH is doing its part to rebuild the economy and allow the common people, the mainstay of our country, to resume their normal work lives by giving them a safe workspace.
