NCOC dismisses reports of higher Covid-19 ratio among children in third wave

Top pandemic body says infection ratio in children aged between 1-10 years remained around 3% during all three waves

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday clarified that there is no deviation in Pakistan's Covid-19 positivity ratio in children as compared to previous waves.

The nerve centre of the government's unified efforts to stem Covid-19 spread reviewed the alleged spike in the rate of reported cases in children. "During all three waves, infection ratio in children aged between 1-10 years remained at around 3% of total cases," NCOC said on its official Twitter handle.

NCOC took stock of reported surge in COVID positivity cases in children. There is no deviation in positivity ratio in children as compared to previous waves statistics. During all three waves, infection ratio in children aged between 1-10 years remained around 3% of total cases.

— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) April 2, 2021

 

As per the NCOC report, 136 children and youngsters aged 11-20 have succumbed to the virus whereas 359 people aged between 21 and 30 have also died of the contagion.

It said that 769 persons aged 31-41 have died whereas 1,853 lives of people aged 41-50 have been lost. 3,666 people aged 51-60 years have died of Covid-19.

Read more: Indoor, outdoor gatherings banned with immediate effect: NCOC

4,131 people aged between 61 and 70 died due to coronavirus which is the highest number of deaths in any age group. According to NCOC, 2,604 people aged 71-80 succumbed to the deadly virus.

The report said that 856 patients aged between 81 to 90 years died while 118 people over the age of 90 also passed away after contracting Covid-19.

NCOC said that 6,427 people have died in Punjab, 4,502 in Sindh, 2,363 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 572 in Islamabad, 355 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 209 in Balochistan and 103 succumbed to Covid-19 in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).

NCOC further said that 78 per cent of the deceased were suffering from some underlying condition.

Meanwhile, in the morning session headed by NCOC chief Asad Umar and co-chaired by National Coordinator Lieutenant General Hamood Uz Zaman Khan, the forum asked the provinces to pursue vaccination targets vigorously.

Also read: One million Sinopharm vaccines distributed to federating units, NCOC told

The forum was informed that one million Sinopharm vaccines purchased by Pakistan have been received and distributed amongst all federating units.

It expressed concerns over non implementation of NCOC instructions on adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) on wearing of masks, social distancing and commercial timings.

It was also decided that senior citizens over 65 years can walk in to designated vaccination centres for administering doses through on-spot registration facility.