Pakistan to receive 19m Covid vaccine doses by June: Dr Faisal
Says govt plans to vaccinate 70m people by year end; commence local filling of vaccine soon
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Faisal Sultan said on Monday that Pakistan expected to receive 19 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the first half of the ongoing year. We expect to receive 19 million doses of Covid vaccines by the first half of the current year, Dr Sultan said while addressing a press conference at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) this afternoon.
He added that some virus variants had a tendency of having more chances of re-occurrence of infection.
It is pertinent to mention here that the National Institute of Health (NIH) has detected one sample of the SARS-COV-2; B.1.351 (South African) and one sample of SARS-COV-2; P1 (Brazil) variants through genome sequencing.
According to the spokesman of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, authorities are actively engaged in contact tracing of these positive cases. He added the Ministry of National Health Services and National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) were regularly monitoring Covid-19 variants of concern in the country.
Pakistan imposes new restrictions amid surge in Covid cases
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ISLAMABAD: The government decided on Tuesday to close all tourist resorts, public parks and hotels in and around tourist spots during Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, besides all examinations have been postponed until June 15, as the country reported 142 more deaths and 4,487 Covid-19 cases during the past 24 hours.
According to a circular issued by the Interior Ministry following a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), inter-city and inter-provincial transport will be closed during Eid holidays, however, locals especially of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) will be allowed to travel.
The ministry further directed that routes leading to tourist spots will be closed with special focus on Murree, Galliyat, Swat, Kalam, Northern Areas and Sea View beaches.
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Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday attended a ceremony that marked the formal launch of COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pakistan.
The first vaccine jab was administered to a doctor. The prime minister oversaw the vaccine jab administration and wished its recipient the best.
While speaking on the occasion, he congratulated his health team for moving rapidly to secure the vaccines.
‘Thank you China
The prime minister also thanked China for donating 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine to Pakistan. We are thankful to China for the timely help, he said.
‘No preference’
He reiterated that the vaccine will be first administered to health workers working with COVID-19 patients, followed by the elderly in the high-risk age group. The vaccine doses, he said would be distributed among provinces equitably and there would be no preference in this regard.