Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved a recommendation for placing orders for a coronavirus vaccine in advance, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Ministry Dr Nosheen Hamid said.
According to Dr Hamid, the government has so far contacted two firms that are developing a vaccine for the virus. The health ministry had presented the recommendation before the premier last month. The government wants to immunize 10 million Pakistanis in the first phase, giving priority to frontline workers and elderly people.
Amidst rising coronavirus cases, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government decided on Tuesday to impose a complete lockdown across the region for a fortnight starting November 21. This decision came during a meeting of the AJK cabinet that met today with Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider in the chair. The meeting was briefed that the coronavirus situation in the valley has worsened as Covid-19 positivity rate has gone up to 19 per cent. There would be a complete lockdown in all AJK districts with a ban on weddings and other gatherings. All schools and businesses will remain shut during the lockdown. Strict screening at the entry points of the region would be ensured. Besides, the number of employees in government offices will be cut in half as only 50% of them would be allowed to come to offices while the rest would work from home.
The total active Covid-19 cases in Pakistan on Tuesday were recorded 29,055 as 2050 more people tested positive for the deadly virus. A total 33 patients, 30 of whom were under treatment died in hospitals while three died out of hospital on Monday, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC). No Covid-affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Balochistan, while 218 ventilators elsewhere in Pakistan were occupied, out of 1,859 allocated for Covid-19 patients.
Some 29,378 tests were conducted across the country on Monday, including 11,596 in Sindh, 12,032 in Punjab, 2,831 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 1,917 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 356 in Balochistan, 302 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and 344 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Around 324,834 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count.
Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 361,082 cases were detected so far, including AJK 5538, Balochistan 16,449, GB 4,461, ICT 24,444, KP 42,615, Punjab 111,047 and Sindh 156,528. It is pertinent to mention here that so far around 4,979,939 tests had been conducted, and 735 hospitals allocated with covid facilities while 1688 patients were admitted across the country.
About 7,193 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion, including 2,751 Sindh, four of them died in hospital on Monday, while 2, 492 in Punjab, 14 of them died in hospital and three out of hospital on Monday, 1,315 in KP four died in hospital, 260 in ICT 03 died in hospital, 156 in Balochistan, 93 in GB and 126 in AJK five of them died in hospital on Monday.
PML-N leader and former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pir Sabar Shah has tested positive of coronavirus. He has quarantined himself at home on the advice of the doctors.
The government’s database for tracking the spread of Covid-19 in the country shows that 1,010 more people have recovered from the virus, taking Pakistan’s total recoveries to 324,834. The database also shows that 1,447 coronavirus patients are in critical condition.
