(OUP) – Newswire Pakistan

January 23, 2023January 30, 2023

Oxford University establishes evidence that vaccination helps reduce complications for pregnant women suffering from COVID-19 Omicron variant

Karachi, January 23, 2023 (PPI-OT):In its latest ‘2022 INTERCOVID Study’ conducted in 41 hospitals across 18 countries, including the Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan, the global network led by the Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI) at the University of Oxford has cited that pregnant women who were vaccinated, were well protected against severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications and had a very low risk of admission to an intensive care unit.

The study evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant on maternal and neonatal outcomes and the efficacy of vaccination to reduce the associated risks. The researchers studied 1,545 pregnant women diagnosed with the variant and 3,073 non-diagnosed, concomitant pregnant women as controls. The in-depth research found out that although Omicron variant is associated with several severe risks for pregnant women, adequate vaccination dosage can limit its risks. In the study, the mRNA vaccines were most effective in preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications, although viral vector vaccines with a booster also provided adequate protection.

The Aga Khan University’s faculty Dr. Shabina Ariff and Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta are co-authors of the Lancet paper that contributed to the evidence with 243 local pregnant women from Pakistan and establish concrete evidence of vaccine effectiveness globally.

Highlighting the importance of vaccination coverage among pregnant women, Professor Jose Villar, Professor of Perinatal Medicine at the University of Oxford, who co-led INTERCOVID 2022, said “We have provided robust, evidence-based information on the increased risk of the COVID-19 Omicron variant during pregnancy for severe maternal complications among symptomatic and unvaccinated women. Of concern is that severe symptoms of the disease occurred in 4% to 7% of unvaccinated women diagnosed with the COVID-19 Omicron variant during pregnancy. The study clearly indicates the need for a complete vaccination course during pregnancy, preferably with a booster, to provide protection for at least 10 months after the last dose. Antenatal services worldwide should strive to include vaccination against COVID-19 in the routine care of pregnant women.”

The study has concluded that prevention of severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications requires women to be completely vaccinated, preferably with a booster dose as well.

For more information, contact:
Manager Marketing Communications
Marketing Department
Oxford University Press (OUP)
No. 38, Sector 15, Korangi Industrial Area
Karachi-74900, Pakistan
UAN: (92 21) 111 693 673 Ext.: 303
Tel: (92 21) 35071580-86
Cell: 0300-2854748
Fax: (92 21) 35055071-2
Email: Zehra.Nasim@oup.com
Website: www.oup.com.pk

December 3, 2021December 4, 2021

Oxford University Press, Pakistan and Knowledge Platform Form Strategic Education Technology Collaboration

Karachi, December 03, 2021 (PPI-OT):Oxford University Press (OUP), Pakistan and Knowledge Platform have entered into an agreement to advance education technology in Pakistan. Under the agreement, OUP will progressively bring digital versions of its best-selling school education portfolio in Pakistan onto a learning management platform customized by Knowledge Platform to meet OUP’s requirements. OUP will also make available Knowledge Platform’s deep body of high-quality digital content, aligned to OUP textbooks, to customers across Pakistan.

Arshad Saeed Husain, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan, noted: “The COVID pandemic has greatly accelerated the shift towards digital education technology in schools. We believe that successful school systems will continue to extend their strengths in combining digital and traditional education practices. We are delighted to form an education technology collaboration with Knowledge Platform after extensive market analysis and evaluation of their learning technologies, digital content and service capacity.”

Mahboob Mahmood, the CEO of Knowledge Platform added: “We are honoured to form a strategic collaboration with OUP, Pakistan’s leading textbook publisher. Over the coming years, education practices will evolve rapidly with traditional publishers and edtech companies combining their capacities to bring impactful new learning solutions to market. We believe our collaboration provides rich soil for innovation in education.”

September 6, 2021September 7, 2021

Oxford University Press launches New Branding as the next step in its Digital Transformation

Karachi, September 06, 2021 (PPI-OT):Oxford University Press (OUP), the world’s largest university press, has today launched new branding which supports its ongoing transformation to become a digital-first business and enhance its aim to make knowledge and learning more accessible through the power of technology.

OUP has been advancing knowledge and learning since its origins in the sixteenth century, and today it produces high-quality materials and services for learners and researchers around the world in three core markets of research, education, and English language teaching. OUP believes that its new branding will keep it at the forefront of this rapidly changing industry.

OUP has continued to evolve to make the most of new technologies – something that has accelerated in Covid times. In response to the rapid changes in customer needs from the start of the pandemic, OUP enhanced its platforms and made a significant number of digital resources widely available to support teaching, learning, and research globally. These included a virtual hub of COVID-19 research, which has received 30 million views to date; virtual professional development events such as the English Language Teaching Online Conference (ELTOC), which was attended by 53,000 teachers; and updates to key online education platforms such as My Maths, to support home educators.

Speaking about the new brand, Nigel Portwood, CEO of Oxford University Press, said: “We have always been a leader in education and research and recognize the crucial role we can play in helping individuals and society progress through knowledge and learning. For many years now, we have been on a journey of digital transformation, and while demand for the printed formats remains, we expect to see increasing reliance on digital tools and resources across all our core markets. The new brand supports our activities in those digital formats and signals how we are reimagining our role, and our intent to continue to evolve in the future, to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers and communities.”

As part of its commitment to leading the industry, OUP is holding an online event, Forum for Educators: Learning beyond tomorrow, on November 4, which will bring together educators and experts to explore crucial topics such as building digital literacy, the digital divide, and improving access to education.