Information technology has played a pivotal role in China’s response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. From proactive surveillance for rapid detection and diagnosis of infection to immediate isolation and rigorous contact tracing, IT has been a valuable tool. The AI-assisted radiological image interpretation of coronavirus and intervention has helped a lot in diagnosing COVID-19 patients quicker.
A similar cloud-based coronavirus pneumonia diagnosis service using AI-assisted CT image interpretation was launched by Huawei Cloud recently. The service has been developed in collaboration with Huazhong University of Science & Technology and Lanwon Technology.
This new service utilizes artificial intelligence, such as computer vision and medical image analysis. It will also help in alleviating the shortage of imaging doctors.
For the uninitiated, Coronavirus causes multiple lesions called fibrosis in the lungs. These lesions go through rapid changes, which is why multiple revi..
Category: News
DIRBS Won’t Block Phones for One Month Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
In view of Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic and to ensure social distancing, all GSMA valid device IMEIs seen on mobile networks but currently not registered with PTA have been granted an additional 30 days for registration of their mobile devices, increasing total time period required for registration from 60 days to 90 days.
The decision was taken to provide immediate ease and facilitation to the public. The blocking of such mobile devices will continue from 19th April 2020 as per their due dates and will be communicated via SMS.
As per regulations, all mobile devices being connected to local networks using local SIM are subject to registration within 60 days from 1st use of device on local mobile networks in Pakistan.
However, due to extraordinary circumstances, blocking of non- registered device IMEIs, which were to be blocked between 18th March to 18th April 2020, will now start from 19 April as per due date of each device.
PTA launched Device Identification Registration Block..
Pakistan Reports Two Deaths Due to Coronavirus [Updated]
The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has reported two deaths due to deadly coronavirus. One of the deceased was a 36-year-old man from Hangu, admitted at Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar. The other was a 50-year-old man from Mardan, being treated at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad. Both patients had reportedly traveled to Saudi Arabia, recently.
Update: Meanwhile, the media mistakenly reported an older man’s death from Gilgit Baltistan (GB), which later turned out to be fake. It was learned that the 90-year-old man had not tested positive for the virus, instead had a history of kidney complications.
As for now, over 40 new cases have been confirmed countrywide, taking the national tally to 301. Moreover, two patients have so far recovered from the virus and have been sent home.
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Wednesday Updates
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After over 250 reported cases in Pakistan and rumors of a patient’s death that turned out to be false, the coun..
PSX Hit by Worst 3-Day Decline in History
Pakistan Stock Market cratered on Wednesday, as investors panicked over the fear of a countrywide lockdown due to Coronavirus.
At the end of the day, the benchmark index, KSE-100 index went down by 6.75% or -2,200 points and was closed at 30,416 points.
Samiullah Tariq, Head of Research at Arif Habib Ltd while talking with ProPakistani said that during the last three consecutive trading sessions, KSE-100 has declined by 5,645 (-15.7%) points which is the highest three-day decline in history, however it is the highest three-day decline in percentage terms since 01-Jun-1998 (-21.7%), he noted.
Adnan Sami Sheikh, a senior market analyst noted that State Bank of Pakistan’s move disappointed the market which was expecting a sharper cut, looking at the outstanding offers at today’s close suggests people are desperate and are panicking to exit the market.
During the start, for the fifth time in eight working days, trading was halted at the Pakistan Stock Exchange after the KSE-30 index fe..
Educational Institutions, Online Businesses Can Use VoIP, VPN & Video Conferencing Apps Without Restrictions
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced that all educational institutions and online businesses can use legal Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP), Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and video conferencing applications to carry on their online activities without any restrictions.
All legal VoIPs and VPNs and video conferencing apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, Google Meets, Zoom, Blue Jeans, Cisco WebEx, Team viewer, Meraki VPN, etc are available to be used for virtual education and business.
However, as per Telecom Rules and Regulations, PTA is only taking action against those using VoIP and VPNs for terminating illegal traffic which causes loss to the exchequer. Therefore, the impression given through media by certain elements that PTA has blocked all VoIP, Video Conference and VPN solutions is incorrect.
Furthermore, PTA is working in close coordination with the Ministry of IT and Telecom (MoIT&T) and Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) in facilitating and regularizing..
KP Govt Imposes Restrictions to Prevent Spread of Coronavirus
The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has imposed a partial lockdown in the province to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
This includes banning all events and ceremonies in public and private places, closure of hotels, and restaurants. However, home deliveries and takeaways will be allowed.
The decision was taken in the light of the recent provincial cabinet and coronavirus task force meetings chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan.
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Major Hospitals in Islamabad Close OPD Services
As per the circular, the provincial government has decided to keep all restaurants, barbers, and parlors closed until 5th April. The notification maintained that all the grocery shops and pharmacies will remain open from 10 am to 7 pm, with a request to the general public to avoid crowding markets during these hours.
Among other significant decisions, the provincial government has decided to vacate all tourist spots in the province, including the northern areas. The entry of loc..
Airlift Suspends Operations in Pakistan
Bus ride-hailing service, Airlift, has suspended all operations across the country until April 6. The online ride-hailing service announced this in a notification sent to users. The decision was taken after rising coronavirus cases in the country.
Given the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Pakistan with more than 200 confirmed cases, Airlift has temporarily suspended operations until April 6 to prevent the spread.
The notification sent out today, asked customers to avoid bus rides because they pose a high-risk environment.
As of now, Airlift is the first international ride-hailing service close to its operations in Pakistan.
Check our Live Blog for minute-by-minute coronavirus related updates.
Samsung Launches the Affordable Galaxy M21 With 6000 mAh Battery
Samsung just launched the Galaxy M20’s successor, dubbed Samsung Galaxy M21 in India. The smartphone comes with impressive Samsung Galaxy M31-like specifications. However, it does so while sporting a much more affordable price tag. Moreover, it is being positioned as a product designed for “tech-savvy young millennials and Gen Z.”
Design and Display Design-wise, the Samsung Galaxy M21 looks a lot like the recently launched Samsung Galaxy M31. It has a similar rectangular camera housing and a similar squircle fingerprint sensor on the back.
The smartphone is built around a 6.4-inch Infinity-U Super AMOLED Display with Full HD+ (1080p) resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
Internals and Storage As for the innards, the smartphone comes with Exynos 9611 chipset similar to the 2019-launched Samsung Galaxy M30s. The SoC is topped with 4 GB or 6 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64 GB or 128 GB of onboard storage. If that is not enough, it also has a dedicated MicroSD card for expansion.
The Galaxy M21..
Service Providers Under Stress as People Begin Working from Home
As the COVID-19 outbreak forces nations to close down, companies are making telecommuting mandatory for all employees. Although the concept of working from home is not new, the urgent need for social distancing is quickly making it the new norm.
This will inevitably put pressure on internet and mobile providers to ensure robust network performance in the coming months.
And we are already beginning to see how some service providers are not ready to handle the increasing demand.
For example, early yesterday morning, the O2 mobile network suffered an outage as large numbers of people in Britain began working from home. The issues apparently resulted from a short-lived network congestion problem which affected calls made over 3G for the three major networks – O2, EE and Vodafone.
A spokesperson for O2 stated: “Today the industry experienced an issue that meant some calls between different networks were unable to connect. Specifically, O2, Vodafone and Three were unable to connect to EE ..
Punjab Govt Orders a Curfew to Control Coronavirus Outbreak
The government of Punjab has decided to implement ‘all possible’ preventive measures to control the spread of the novel coronavirus in the province.
This includes limiting the public’s movement in the markets, closure of markets, shopping malls, hotels, and restaurants at 10 pm. No commercial activity will be permitted after ten o’clock.
It was decided in a special meeting of Punjab Apex Committee convened today to oversee measures for restricting the viral outbreak.
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The provincial government has also ramped up its efforts to deal with the global pandemic. A fresh supply of sanitary products and other necessary material was sent to quarantine camps in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, and other areas.
Furthermore, CM Usman Bazdar will also visit these quarantine facilities today, where he will review arrangements for suspected Covid-19 patients.
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NADRA Stops Renewing ID Cards
The recent steps were taken after the ..
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