LAHORE: While the number of active Covid-19 cases has reached to 2424 in the province, as many as 171 fresh corona cases and five more fatalities were reported in Punjab taking the provincial tally of coronavirus cases to 102,107 and death toll to 2324.
With 18 more recoveries, the total number of recovered patients has reached to 97,289 so far. As many as 9639 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours. Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has appealed to the citizens to follow corona SOPs as the number of active cases has reached to 2424 in the province.
In a statement, he stated 171 new cases have reported while 5 patients have died during the last 24 hours.
He regretted the number of corona patients was increased due to the violation of SOPs and death rate was also enhanced. It is imperative to observe SOPs at crowded places and everyone should exhibit a socially-responsible behaviour to overcome the spread of this virus, he said.
As per the government's Covid-19 portal, 462 more people have recovered from the coronavirus in the country, taking the total number of recoveries to 309,136.
On the other hand, Asian health experts agree that Covid-19 has created a created a critical need, to transform various aspects of medical education to reflect the changing health landscape.
"The teaching and learning of medicine has historically been slow to change, but rapid changes seen during the Covid-19 pandemic showing that the profession is capable of being nimble. The current upheaval represents an opportunity for experimentation in how undergraduate and postgraduate medical education is delivered", said University of Health Sciences (UHS) Vice-Chancellor, Prof Javed Akram.
While addressing through video-link the inaugural session of South and Southeast Medical Education and Service Alliance (SSAMESA) conference, hosted by Kunming Medical University, China, Prof Akram said that the Covid-19 crisis had created a need and opportunity to overcome institutional and historic barriers to change, facilitating rapid implementation of educational advancements.
"Technology and novel means of learning, including online resources, simulation, video conferencing and virtual reality, must be embraced to facilitate ongoing medical education," he said, adding: "There is a need for developing a system of credit transfer across institutions and boundaries to facilitate student mobility."
Kunming Medical University's President, Professor LI Song said the coronavirus crisis had impacted both higher education and the field of medicine in a myriad of ways. "There is no doubt the field of medicine has been uniquely impacted by the pandemic. Not only have we witnessed the importance of having a robust healthcare system, but the pandemic has created a critical need to explore some of the potential areas that may see significant changes", he opined.
On the other hand, all Pakistan men's national team's players and support staff assembled in Lahore were integrated into a bio-secure bubble in a local hotel after they tested negative for Covid-19.
The tests were conducted on Wednesday upon the squad's arrival at the hotel. The squad will now start preparations for the three-match ODI series at the Gaddafi Stadium with training and practice session on Friday.
The ODI series will be played in Rawalpindi with the first match taking place on October 30. The Pakistan squad will travel to Rawalpindi from Lahore on 26th October.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020