Minority communities like Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were allowed to hold prayers and worship at their religious sites by following social distancing and other measures enforced to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Several provincial governments banned gathering of more than five people for worship in religious places to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected over 72,460 people and killed 1,543 in the country so far. Succumbing to pressure from the hardline clerics, the Imran Khan government last month allowed conditional congregational prayers in mosques during the month of Ramzan. The government last week allowed minority communities like Sikhs, Hindus and Christians to worship and hold prayers under standard operating procedures (SOPs) notfied by the Provincial Government of KPK against COVID-19. According to spokesman of Relief and Resettlement Department, carpets would not be laid on floor and senior persons and small children would perform prayers at home. Floor would be disinfected before and after the prayers and shaking of hands and hugging should be avoided, the guidelines said.
Model killed in Pak plane crash abused online
A Pakistani model, who was among the dead in last week’s plane crash in Karachi, has received online abuses from religious hardliners for her profession and lifestyle. Zara Abid, 28, was one of the 99 people on board the PIA plane that crashed into in Karachi on May 22. Following reports of Abid’s death, social media had been flooded with posts blaming her for her “sinful” outfits and modeling career. Many trolls from radical Islamists suggested that she would be sent to hell in the afterlife. Her pictures in dresses considered to be revealing in Pakistan were posted online as examples of her “sinful” behaviour.
Pak PM downplays crisis, but aide says curbs may return
With new infections, the number of Covid cases in Pakistan crossed 72,460 on Monday. The death toll also increased to 1,543. PM Imran Khan’s top aide on health Dr Zafar Mirza has warned that the rapid pace at which the virus was spreading could force authorities to reimpose a strict lockdown. Two weeks ago, the government had eased lockdown curbs. “I want to warn Pakistanis that if you don’t take precautionary measures, this crisis could turn into a huge tragedy,” he added. Despite Mirza’s admission, PM Khan has repeatedly downplayed the threat, saying in one of his recent press conferences that the threat from the virus was “low” in Pakistan.
Last Covid patient discharged from NZ hospital
New Zealand has recorded just one single new case of the Covid-19 in the past week, with 21 people in the country having died of the condition since the pandemic began. A hospitalised patient was discharged from Middlemore Hospital last week, marking the first time in two months that all hospitals were empty of people needing treatment for coronavirus. There have been 1,504 cases of coronavirus in New Zealand’s 5 million population, with the first confirmed case recorded at the end of February. The peak of hospitalisations came in April, when 20 people were in hospital receiving treatment, according to the country’s Ministry of Health. Intensive care numbers peaked at five during April, while not a single person has been admitted in May. Out of the 21 people who died after contracting coronavirus in New Zealand, eight had an underlying health condition, while all but one was aged over 65.
US co begins vaccine trial on humans in Oz
A US biotechnology company began injecting a coronavirus vaccine candidate into people in Australia last week with hopes of releasing a proven vaccine this year. Novavax will inject 131 volunteers in the first phase of the trial testing the safety of the vaccine and looking for signs of its effectiveness, the company’s research chief Gregory Glenn said. Animal testing suggested the vaccine is effective in low doses. Novavax could manufacture at least 100 million doses this year and 1.5 billion in 2021, he said. The results of the first phase of clinical trials in Melbourne and Brisbane are expected to be known in July, Novavax said. Thousands of candidates in several countries would then become involved in a second phase. The trial began with six volunteers being injected with the potential vaccine in Melbourne last week. Novavax candidate is called a recombinant vaccine. Novavax used genetic engineering to grow harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in giant vats of insect cells in a laboratory. Scientists extracted and purified the protein, and packaged it into virus-sized nanoparticles. It’s the same process that Novavax used to create a nanoparticle flu vaccine that recently passed late-stage testing.
Trump sharing umbrella with wife leaves netizens impressed
US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump were at the Florida coast to witness American astronauts blast into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center for the first time in nearly a decade. However, historic launch was postponed due to bad weather. Media persons gathered to take photographs witnessed a rare sight - Trump sharing umbrella with his wife Melania while stepping out of the plane. This act by Trump has impressed many netizens and he was lauded for this gesture. Earlier, Trump was criticized several times for not sharing the umbrella with other.
Siberian zoo sees animal baby boom during lockdown
A Siberian zoo that closed its doors to visitors for over two months due to the novel coronavirus says the lockdown has encouraged a baby boom among its animals. Among the zoo’s new arrivals are rare Egyptian goslings, reindeer calves, llama crias and a baby brown weeper capuchin monkey. “Judging by the baby boom, the lockdown has clearly been good for us,” said Andrei Gorban, the director of Krasnoyarsk’s Royev Ruchey Zoo. He, also said that while the absence of visitors had encouraged mating among some residents, it had confused others. The zoo’s herd of camels are among those who appear to be missing visitors; they now follow every zoo employee who walks past their enclosure.
Cloth masks may prevent Covid spread
A new study says that cloth masks, particularly those with several layers of cotton fabric, can block droplet and aerosol contamination of the environment, and may reduce transmission of Covid-19. Scientists, including those from McMaster University in Canada, said most virus transmission occurs via larger particles in secretions like droplets, generated while speaking, coughing, or sneezing, and some are created when water evaporates from these droplets, turning them into aerosol-sized particles. According to the research, every virus-laden particle retained in a mask is not available to hang in the air. The study said a mask made of three layers reduced surface contamination by 99%, total airborne micro-organisms by 99%, and bacteria recovered from aerosol-sized particles by 88% to 99%. A commercial mask which is made of four-layer cotton muslin can reduce all particles by 99%, it added.
Mahathir ousted from party amid power struggle
Malaysia’s former PM Mahathir Mohamad has been ousted from his political party in the latest twist of a power struggle with his successor, but he has vowed to challenge the move. The 94-year-old Mahathir, along with his son and three other members, were expelled from the Bersatu party. The party has has been split into two camps since intense political wrangling led Mahathir to resign as PM in February and the king to appoint fellow party member Muhyiddin Yassin as his replacement. Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz, has since challenged Muhyiddin as party chief in a vote that’s been postponed by the pandemic.
Neglected residents and rotten food found at care homes
Canadian troops deployed to long-term care homes overwhelmed by coronavirus outbreaks found neglected and malnourished residents, rotten food and insect infestations, and a blatant disregard for critical safety protocol, according to a report from the country’s armed forces. Military medics were dispatched to long-term care facilities in Quebec and Ontario in late April, with aim of blunting Covid-19 outbreaks among vulnerable populations. Soldiers deployed to five of Ontario’s worst-hit care homes encountered rotten food, cockroaches and residents in soiled diapers, according to the report. At one facility, residents had not been bathed in weeks. At another, staff made “derogatory or inappropriate comments directed at residents”. Neglect of resident hygiene and health, often leading to infection, was documented at all facilities. Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, said: “On reading the deeply disturbing report, I had obviously a range of emotions of anger, of sadness, of frustration, of grief. It is extremely troubling, and as I’ve said from the very beginning of this, we need to do a better job of supporting our seniors in long-term care right across the country, through this pandemic and beyond.” Long-term care homes in Canada, many of which are privately run, have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, with residents making up nearly eight out of 10 Covid-19-related deaths across the country.
