DS conducts Karachi-Kotri annual inspection

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Divisional Superintendent Railways Karachi Division, Arshad Salam Khattak, conducted a special annual inspection of railway installations from Karachi to Kotri. 

Accompanied by Divisional Officers, he inspected tracks, level crossings, bridges, stations along with available record and preparedness of staff for coping untoward incidents. 

During the 14-hour long inspection starting from Cantonment Station and culminating at Kotri, Arshad Khattak inspected the relevant records at Drigh Road, Malir, Landhi, Jumma Goth, Bin Qasim, Dhabeji, Jangshahi, Ranpathani, Meting, Braudabad, Bholari and Kotri stations. 

Enroute the 160-kilometre distance, they inspected bridges and checked the level between the tracks with a leveling gauge as well as the stability of the bridges.

The crisis handling and accidental preparedness of gates men at level crossings along the track was inquired by the DS.

The paraphernalia available to the level crossing staff was also witnessed and its various points were discussed.

On the occasion the DS Karachi awarded cash prizes to the gates men in recognition to their alertness and skills and knowledge pertaining to the train accidents.

The DS also held informal sessions with the available staff at stations and level crossings in order to seek first-hand knowledge about the needs and difficulties confronted by them. He directed the concerned officers for immediately resolving the issues brought to his notice.

Vulnerable Pakistanis to get priority for Chinese COVID-19 vaccine

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

China will provide a coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by Sinopharm, a unit of the China National Pharmaceutical Group, to Pakistan as part of a trial agreement.

The University of Karachi and Sinopharm are set to collaborate on vaccine trials and Pakistan will get vaccine doses sufficient to vaccinate one-fifth of its population. 

According to reports, the initial doses will be used to vaccinate the most vulnerable among the Pakistani population including the elderly, healthcare workers and people with medical conditions associated with serious cases of COVID-19.

Earlier in April, Sinopharm had invited the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, to collaborate in conducting clinical trials of its inactivated vaccine for COVID-19 in Pakistan. 

In a letter sent to NIH Executive Director Maj Gen Dr Aamer Ikram, the general manager of China Sinopharm International Corp, Li Can, had expressed the hope that a successful clinical trial in Pakistan will make it one of the first few countries for the launch of a Covid-19 vaccine. 

The NIH official was then reported to have stated that although clearances were needed for the purpose, the collaboration could be a great thing for Pakistan. Meanwhile, researchers have said that Sinopharm’s coronavirus vaccine candidate appeared to be safe and triggered antibody-based immune responses in early and mid-stage trials. 

The candidate has already moved into a late-stage trial, one of a handful of candidates being tested on several thousand people to see if they are effective enough to win regulatory approval. 

Sinopharm is testing the potential vaccine in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a Phase 3 trial expected to recruit 15,000 people, as China has too few new cases to be a useful trial site. 

The shot did not cause any serious side effects, according to a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by scientists who are part of Sinopharm and other China-based disease control authorities and research institutes. The results were based on data from 320 healthy adults in Phase 1 and 2 trials. 

Sinopharm’s chairman told state media last month that a potential vaccine could be ready by the end of this year with Phase 3 testing expected to be completed in about three months. 

The novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 750,000 people globally, has prompted a race to develop a vaccine. More than 150 candidate vaccines are being developed and tested around the world. China is leading the development of at least eight vaccine candidates in different stages of clinical trials.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh still unstable

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh registered 177 more new COVID-19 infections, with four related deaths, against Pakistan’s overall 670 new cases and six deaths on August 15.

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his COVID-19 statement on August 15, shared that 400 virus infected persons recovered from the diseases during the last 24 hours while the number of active patients stood 4,162, including 3,766 at homes and 388 at hospitals. 

Sindh had 254 patients in critical condition, 36 of which were put on ventilators, according to the statement. 

Keen observers noted that Sindh was yet to witness any stable COVID-19 status. 

It had far too many ups and downs, which needs to be overcome now in order to give confidence to the masses. 

The province’s virus-related deaths had reduced to one on August 2, which, after many ups and down, was 4 which meant 67% of the country’s total deaths, on August 15.

Similarly, it registered the lowest number of infections during August, 177 on August 2, but failed to retain the down pattern in the following days.

Almost half of the designated COVID-19 laboratories did not perform any test during the last 24 hours, according to an official report updated on August 15.

However, LUMHS Hyderabad conducted the maximum of 5,401 tests, against its maximum capacity of 5,000 per day. It was followed by Indus Karachi Hospital which conducted 1,661 tests against its capacity of 4,000 daily.

On August 15, Karachi reported 117 positive cases (43% of the total new cases), followed by Khairpur (20), Kashmore (19), Hyderabad (18), Thatta (15), Ghotki (7), Jacobabad (5), Sujawal (5), Shikarpur (5), Tando Mohammad Khan (4), Badin (3), Jamshoro (3), Mirpurkhas (3), Naushero Feroze (3), Sanghar (3), Sukkur (3), Tando Allahyar (3), Larkana (2), Kambar Shahdadkot (1), Matiari (1), Shaheed Benazirabad (1) and Umerkot (1).

Same day four patients died in the province, taking the death tally to 2317, but details about their hospitalization, age and gender and the district they belonged to were not revealed in the Chief Minister’s statement.

On August 14, six COVID-19 patients died in Sindh, including four at Karachi one each at Badin and a Larkana. The person who died in Larkana was a COVID-19 infected doctor.

So far, 54 doctors, one medical student, two nurses and 21 paramedical staff have lost their lives due to the infection in the country. According to an official report, only 134 ventilators, out of 1334 dedicated for COVID-19 patients across the country, were being utilized on August 14.

Earlier, 10 deaths registered in Sindh on August 13 occurred among patients belonging to Karachi, including three those at homes, according the report.