COVID-19 whistleblower’s widow gives birth to child

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The widow of Dr Li Wenliang of Wuhan, regarded as the whistle blower of COVID-19, gave birth to the second child, a boy, the Chinese media reported on June 12.

"Are you seeing this in heaven? The last gift you gave me was born today. I will love and take care of him,” Fu Xueijie, wife of Li Wenliang's apparently writing the message for her late husband wrote on her Chinese most popular Social media “WeChat moments” after giving birth to a boy. 

Dr Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist by profession, hailed from the Central Hospital of Wuhan who sounded an early alarm for the novel coronavirus, a domestic news outlet Lizhi News reported on June 12 that his wife gave birth to a boy. 

The baby weighed 3.45 kilograms, according to the media report. Floods of messages were left on social media to welcome him to the world, with some netizens wishing him happiness forever.

Dr Li Wenliang was hailed a hero by Chinese netizens for his courage in warning people at an early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. The doctor died following a battle with the coronavirus on February 7. 

“We hope this child will carry on the spirit of Dr Li and be a good man,” a netizen said. 

The Chinese authorities last month awarded the doctor and other 32 people with medals to commemorate their sacrifices in fighting against COVID-19.

“As an ophthalmologist, he was not afraid of danger and was not afraid to come into close contact with patient. He stuck to his frontline post and took care of patients in eight beds. When he became infected with COVID-19 at work, he was always concerned about the frontline and said many times that he would go back after recovering," Dr Li Wenliang’s official introduction read. 

Following his death in February, anger and grief flooded the Chinese social media and many of them hailed him a national hero, expressing indignation toward Wuhan authorities' early handling of his case.

Giant company to do renewable energy project in Sindh

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

China’s world leading manufacturer and supplier of PMDD wind turbines worldwide has received a new contract to expand setting up alternate energy project in Sindh province. 

The ACT Wind (PTV) Ltd, has signed a contract with Xinjiang Goldwind Science Technology to acquire 50 MW suit of wind turbine for the Phase II ACT Project, the company has announced. 

Goldwin has received a new supply contract for 20 units of GW 121-2.5 MW high temperature model wind turbines for ACT-II project, the Chinese company shared. The project is located at Jhimpir of Sindh province, the area known well as wind corridor with around 1 GW installed wind capacity, it said. 

The Chinese Consul General in Karachi, Li Bijian, while lauding the deal, remarked that renewable energy was one of the most important and effective way to deal with climate change with great potential existing for it in Pakistan. 

It may be recalled that in 2013 the Pakistan Meteorological Department had conducted a Wind Power Potential Survey of Coastal Areas of Pakistan to identify potential wind corridors where economically feasible wind farm could be established. 

The Gharo-Jhimpir wind corridor in Sindh was identified as the most lucrative site for wind power plants. The wind power potential covered an area of 9700 sq.km.

Gwadar Free Zone Phase-1 completed

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The construction of Gwadar Port Free Zone Phase-1 has been completed with all infrastructures, official sources disclosed to the PNFS on June 12. 

All amenities including power, water and roads were now made available according to the sources quoting the Economic Survey. 

The Gwadar Port is in process of becoming gateway for Pakistan and the region. It is also set to be recognized itself as world-class maritime hub.

“A change maker, fortune maker and king maker,” the Chinese Consul General in Karachi remarked while hailing the completion of Phase-1 of the Gwadar Port Free Zone.

Coronavirus Update: Hospitals run out of beds as records tumble in fresh spike

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh witnessed an increase of about 12,000 COVID-19 cases during the last one week, as the health authorities on June 11 declared another 3,038 new cases, the highest single-day tally of infections in the province, with 38 deaths.  

The province only the other day (June 10) had recorded the highest one-day tally of corona infections (2,487), with 42 related deaths. The toll started increasing phenomenally for the past couple of days after the province registered on an average 1,553 new cases daily during a period from June 5 to June 9.

With a total 46,828 COVID-19 infection cases since February 26 when Sindh reported the first coronavirus positive case in Karachi resident having travelled to Iran, the then hot spot of the lethal COVID-19 virus, the province stood ahead of other regions including Punjab (45,463 cases, with 841 deaths). 

Punjab had registered its highest one-day new infection figure as 2,641 on June 9 while the maximum 58 deaths, the highest one day, among the provinces, on June 8, according to the national COVID-19 dashboard. 

As per the Sindh health department's daily summary, 30 patients, including 17 men and 13 women lost their lives in Karachi on June 11. 

The deceased men were in the age brackets of 35 to 85 years while women aged between 30 to 85 years. Sukkur and Khairpur registered deaths of two men and two women, respectively. The deceased persons in the two districts aged between 37 and 63 years. 

In addition, Mirpurkhas and Kashmore reported one death each of woman, while Khairpur, Hyderabad and Larkana registered death of a woman each. 

 According to the summary, Karachi reported the maximum 2,471 new cases during the last 24 hours, ending at 9 am on June 11, followed by Sukkur (99), Hyderabad (86), Larkana (78), Ghotki (69), Shaheed Benazirabad (28), Shikarpur (24), Shikarpur (24), Jacobabad (23), Khairpur (22), Jamshoro (22), Sanghar (20), Dadu (19) and other districts. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, conceded that new cases registered at Karachi on June 11 were beyond imagination. The experts, he pointed out, have warned that if the standard operating procedures were not followed, then Sindh may have over 300,000 cases of COVID-19 infection by June 30. He cautioned people to understand gravity of the situation.

According to an official report, as at 11 am on June 11, Karachi’s Civil Hospital, SMBB Trauma Centre, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, National Institute of Child Health, OMI Hospital, Indus Hospital, Ziauddin Hospital (North Nazimabad) and Aga Khan University Hospital had no ICU bed vacant for new patients. 

The laboratories tested 10,081 samples during the last 24 hours, taking the figure of total COVID-19 tests conducted in the province to 265,698. As many as 1,040 patients recovered from the diseases on June 11, said the health department’s summary. 

In the meantime, Sindh Chief Secretary, Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, chairing a meeting of Coronavirus Emergency Fund (CEF), constituted a committee comprising provincial health secretary, vice-chancellor of Jinnah Sindh Medical University, CEO of Indus Hospital and additional Secretary of CM Secretariat for devising a mechanism under public-private partnership mode to deliver oxygen cylinders to the COVID-19 patients who were in home isolation.

He noted that a large number of coronavirus patients were currently in home isolation and now it’s very important to provide oxygen to them at their homes. “A timely supply of oxygen cylinders in homes can save many lives,” the Chief Secretary stressed.

Chinese workers to be vaccinated before returning overseas

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

The employees of state owned enterprises (SOEs) in China, preparing to leave for abroad, are being offered to administer two choices of homegrown inactivated vaccine shots for urgent use, with both shots having demonstrated safety in human trials.

The experts have speculated that workers traveling to high-risk areas such as the US, Brazil and India will be given priority for vaccination, Global Times, the English version of mass circulated People’s daily, reported on June 11.

The vaccination offer serves not only to protect Chinese overseas from infection but also to help provide more valuable data to help detect antibody levels and calculate vaccine protection rates for a global reference to the vaccine's efficacy, analysts suggested. 

The two vaccines for urgent use are developed by the Beijing Biological Products Institute and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, affiliated to the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm). 

Both are inactivated vaccines that have shown safe results with no distinct adverse reaction during the first two phases of clinical trials, according to a written notice of the vaccine offer relayed to the SOEs obtained by the Global Times.

"According to the feedback given by Sinopharm, the two vaccines have been verified to be safe through clinical trials and are now going to the third phase of clinical trial. All procedures are undergoing with relevant national laws and regulations," it was revealed. 

Sinopharm had said on May 29 that clinical data from more than 2,000 cases of the two inactivated vaccines showed that the safety and immunoreactions of the vaccine have been fully verified, with no obvious adverse reactions. 

The resumption of production of overseas projects and the health of overseas workers are still under serious threat. 

For better prevention and quicker recovery of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, Sinopharm has given priority to supporting workers intending to go overseas to vaccinate for urgent needs, the notice said. 

An employee in charge of publicity at a Chinese railway construction company confirmed the notice with the Global Times on June 11 The company has construction projects along the BRI in Asian, African, Oceanic and American countries such as Nepal, Fiji and Ecuador. 

"There is such a notice, but it will take time before the vaccines could be distributed to our company. Also it has not been officially published in our department, so we have yet not known any details," the employee said. 

Another SOE dedicated to BRI infrastructure construction projects also confirmed this proposal to the Global Times, telling the vaccination offer was their cooperative plan with Sinopharm while the specific arrangement was still confidential. 

Vaccination priority will be given to SOE workers carrying out overseas business regularly or for a longer time. Those who have temporary travel plans can also be provided depending on their demand, according to the notice.

"The vaccination is completely voluntary. Informed consent must be signed prior to vaccination and the second dose should be administered within 14-28 days after the completion of the first dose," the notice explained. 

A COVID-19 vaccine could be ready for emergency use by September, according to Gao Fu, Director of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. 

China still faced the risk of a second round of the COVID-19 epidemic, a recent report, led by Gao, suggested. A safe and effective vaccine is expected to be the most powerful tool to contain the disease and stop local transmission by forming a population immunity barrier.

China's aerospace scientists win world award

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Chinese scientists of Chang’e-4 Mission, engaged in the project of successful historic first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon last year, have won the World Aerospace Award 2020. 

According to the China Lunar Exploration Project, Wu Weiren, Yu Dengyun, Sun Zezhou and other outstanding scientists of the Chang’s-4 Mission team won the coveted World Aerospace Award 2020, People’s Daily reported in its Chinese edition. 

This is for the first time that the award has been bestowed upon Chinese aerospace scientists by the world body in 70 years. 

Chang’e-4 has created many world firsts and it has been regarded as the longest space craft on the moon. 

The Chang’e-4 lander and Yutu-2 rover had landed together on the lunar surface on January 3, 2019, marking the first time a spacecraft had ever safely touched down on the far side of the moon. 

Around 12 hours after touchdown, the Yutu-2 rover drove down a ramp to disembark from the Chang’e-4 mission’s stationary landing platform to begin exploring the barren lunar landscape.

China working to grow rice in saline-alkali environments

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Chinese experts are currently working to change the notion of thousands of years old that rice crop is required to be cultivated in places with high temperatures, humidity and short days.

A team headed by Yuan Longping, acclaimed as the father of hybrid rice, is currently engaged in the research to yield more rice in saline-alkali environments. 

The team has started the trial in a farm located on the plateau's Qaidam Basin where there is a large area of saline-alkali land that makes it difficult for crops to grow. 

It is also frequented by drought, hail, frost and other natural disasters. The researchers from the Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center moved strains of cold and alkali-resistant rice they cultivated from a greenhouse to the saline-alkali soil on the plateau for trial planting.

They plan to plant 6.67 hectares during the trial and use manual and mechanical methods to conduct observation and provide samples for future large-scale planting, the centre’s engineer, Zhang Guodong, revealed. 

Since 2019, the centre has promoted sea rice in seven major saline-alkaline areas in China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the researchers, new experimental centers and planting bases will be established in Qinghai in order to explore new ways for plateau agricultural production.