Punjab borrows 25k Covid-19 jabs from Balochistan
Vaccine shortage occured due to spike in positive cases
Doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine are seen at a Covid-19 vaccination centre. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
QUETTA:
The Punjab government has borrowed 25,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine from Balochistan due to a spike in the number of positive cases in the province.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) directed the Balochistan government to dispatch the Covid-19 doses to Punjab on Monday to support the vaccination efforts.
The development was confirmed by the Balochistan Coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, Dr Ishaq Panezai.
A total of 575,941 cases recorded since the onset of the pandemic
PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD/
KARACHI/
LAHORE:
Far from the finish line, Pakistan’s fight against the novel coronavirus began exactly one year ago today. A household name now, the Covid-19 virus was first detected shortly after 22-year-old Yahya Jaffery arrived from Iran.
At the temperature screening gates at Karachi’s international airport, Jaffery was allowed to pass through despite showing early signs of the disease. Little did he know that he would end up being the first carrier of the Covid-19 virus in Pakistan.
Owing to the symptoms, Jaffery got himself tested for coronavirus in the following days. Now healthy, Jaffery describes the mandatory isolation as the most painful moment in his life. “It should be faced with courage, said the survivor.