Health

01 Feb 2021; AA: Pakistan on Monday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine as a gift from its longtime ally China.

A special Pakistan Air Force plane carrying 500,000 doses of the vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm landed at the Islamabad airport.

The shipment was received by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chinese envoy Nong Rong. Another 1.1 million pre-ordered doses are expected later this month.

31 Jan 2021; MEMO: Dubai will roll out China's Sinopharm vaccine to the general public from Sunday as coronavirus infections surged to record levels in the Middle East tourism hub, the government said on Saturday, Reuters reported.

All Emirati nationals are eligible for the vaccine, the Dubai media office said in a statement.

31 Jan 2021; MEMO: The Israeli Health Ministry recorded 2,596 new infections and 23 fatalities from the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported.

A ministry statement cited by the Maariv newspaper said the new virus cases were out of 26,000 Israelis who were subjected to the COVID-19 test.

Israel's count now rose to 640,644 cases, including 4,745 deaths. Among the active cases, 1,162 are in critical condition and 298 are depending on respirators.

Rabat, Jan 30 (AP-PTI) Scores of Moroccan health workers streamed to a spacious white tent erected outside the Avicenne University Hospital in the capital Rabat to get their first dose of COVID-19 vaccines, as a mass vaccination effort began Friday in the North African country.

The bustling vaccination center one of 600 set up in Rabat alone aims to inject more than 4,000 health professionals with vaccine doses within three weeks. That's an example of the ambitious targets set by Morocco, which has one of Africa's most advanced coronavirus vaccination plans in place so far.

Mumbai, Jan 29 (PTI) The Maharashtra government on Friday extended till February 28, 2021 the coronavirus-induced lockdown restrictions in the state.

A circular to this effect was issued by the state government.

"The state is threatened with the spread of COVID-19 virus and the government feels the need to take emergency measures," the circular said.

The government's guidelines to operationalise 'Mission Begin Again' for easing of restrictions and phase- wise opening will remain in force till February 28, it said.

27 Jan 2021; MEMO: Anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli last night, leaving 45 injured.

At least nine were taken to hospital for treatment by the Lebanese Red Cross following the clashes.

Protesters targeted government offices, torched a military vehicle and blocked the city's main square.

The army was deployed to contain the demonstrators, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported.

27 Jan 2021; MEMO: Kuwait's Health Ministry yesterday rejected the conditions proposed by the American company, Moderna, under which it would supply the Gulf state with the coronavirus vaccine.

Official sources told Al-Qabas that the conditions had included the company's failure to supply "specific quantities of the vaccine, as well as the lack of the ministry's right to return 30 per cent of the doses in case they were not used."

25 Jan 2021; MEMO: Israel will ban passenger flights in and out of the country from Monday evening for a week as it seeks to stop the spread of new coronavirus variants, Reuters reports.

"Other than rare exceptions, we are closing the sky hermetically to prevent the entry of the virus variants and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in public remarks at the start of a cabinet meeting.

23 Jan 2021; MEMO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the country's vaccination campaign against the coronavirus pandemic is likely to roll out in February with imported vaccines, Anadolu Agency reports.

Speaking at a meeting in the capital Tehran, Rouhani said it is "necessary" to use foreign-manufactured vaccines until the homegrown vaccines are ready for mass usage.

London, Jan 23 (PTI) Early evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK towards the end of last year may be more deadly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

Based on preliminary data briefing by scientists at the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), Johnson admitted that it would seem the new variant was deadlier but stressed that the two vaccines being administered in the UK -- Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca -- are effective against all variants.