There was a sharp decline in number of daily Covid-19 tests and infections as Pakistan registered 13 cases with no fatality during the last 24 hours (Monday), showed the statistics released by the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Tuesday morning, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
According to the NIH data, the death toll in the country remained the same at 30,640 whereas the number of total infections now rose to 1,576,551 after adding the fresh 13 cases.
COVID-19 Statistics 14 February 2023
— NIH Pakistan (@NIH_Pakistan) February 14, 2023
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 2,859
Positive Cases: 13
Positivity %: 0.45%
Deaths: 00
Patients on Critical Care: 13
(shared by NCOC-NIH)
During the last 24 hours (Monday), 2,859 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan as compared to nearly 5,000 on previous day whereas the positivity ratio stood at 0.45 percent. The number of patients in critical care stood at 13.
UK Queen Consort Camilla tests positive for Covid again
Britain's Queen Consort Camilla, the wife of King Charles III, has tested positive for coronavirus, Buckingham Palace said Monday, the second time she has caught the disease.
"After suffering the symptoms of a cold, Her Majesty The Queen Consort has tested positive for the Covid virus," said a statement from the palace.
As a result, she has cancelled all public engagements for this week.
It is almost a year since Camilla, 75, tested positive for the virus for the first time, a few days after her husband -- then Prince Charles -- caught the disease.
Vaccine alliance picks Nigerian as new chief
Mohammad Ali Pate, a Harvard professor who has held top health jobs in Nigeria and with the World Bank, will soon take the reins of the Gavi vaccine alliance, the organisation said Monday.
Pate, a medical doctor trained in internal medicine and infectious disease, will take over the helm on August 3 from US medical epidemiologist Seth Berkley, in charge since 2011, Gavi said in a statement.
Gavi, which has been at the forefront of efforts to immunise the world against Covid, had conducted a year-long recruitment process to find a replacement for Berkley.
Pate, in his 50s, "stood out in a field of world-class candidates," said Jose Manuel Barroso, chair of the Gavi board and a former European Commission president, who headed the search.
The Nigerian doctor served as the state minister of health in his country from 2011 to 2013, during which time he lead an initiative to revive routine vaccinations and primary health care, introduced new vaccines to the country and chaired a presidential taskforce to eradicate polio.
He served as the World Bank's global director for health and director of its global financing facility between 2019 and 2021, leading the bank's $18-billion Covid response.
Pate, who is currently serving as the Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership at Harvard Chan School of Public Health, said in Monday's statement that he was "deeply honoured to be joining Gavi," which he described as "one of the most impactful organisations in global health."
The Gavi vaccine alliance is a non-profit organisation created in 2000 to provide an array of vaccines to developing countries.
It says that since its inception, it has provided vaccines to more than 981 million children, "and prevented more than 16.2 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 lower-income countries."
Gavi has taken the lead on the Covax initiative, alongside the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
The global scheme has so far shipped nearly 1.9 billion Covid vaccines to 146 territories, with the focus on providing donor-funded jabs to the 92 weakest economies.
With inputs from AFP.