People can get single-shot vaccines from tomorrow

NCOC increases oxygen beds as third wave intensifies

ISLAMABAD:

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was informed on Saturday that the public administration of single-dose CanSino coronavirus vaccine would commence in all the provinces from Monday (tomorrow).

The morning session of the NCOC, co-chaired by Planning Minister Asad Umar and National Coordinator Lt Gen Hamooduz Zaman Khan, reviewed the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation and the progress in the government’s vaccination campaign. Pakistan received the first shipment of the CanSino on Tuesday. Another batch of 60,000 doses reached the country on Friday along with of 500,000 jabs of another Chinese vaccine Sinopharm.

These vaccines have been purchased by the government for the vaccination campaign. In all, the government had said that 4 million doses of the vaccine would arrive in Pakistan from China in April. The NCOC said on Friday that 1 million Sinopharm vaccine “purchased by Pakistan have been received and distributed” among all federating units. In Saturday’s session, the NCOC, which is the nerve centre of the government’s anti-pandemic strategy, also discussed the establishment of call centres at district level to pursue registration of senior citizen for vaccination to further enhance the efficacy of the campaign. The forum emphasised that all the Covid vaccination centres should ensure to facilitate people above 65 years age, who have been allowed walk-in vaccination facility.

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“All registered citizens are encouraged to get themselves vaccinated,” the forum said in a statement. The forum was informed that keeping in view the Covid-19 spread, 594 more oxygen beds had been added to dedicated health facilities with special focus on Swat and Peshawar. The forum also decided to enhance monitoring mechanism to check violation of preventive measures. The government has expanded the vaccination campaign in the recent weeks, allowing people over the age of 50 to get vaccinated, in wake of the third wave of the pandemic driven by the UK strain of coronavirus.

For most part of the previous month, the single day tally of fresh cases stayed above 4,000. However, Friday saw 5,234 new Covid-19 cases for the first time since June, when the first wave of the disease was at its peak. The NCOC said on Saturday that 4,723 new cases of Covid-19 and 84 deaths from the deadly contagion were reported across the country during last twenty four hours. it said that 58,500 active cases in the country. The NCOC data showed a slight decrease in the number of cases after three days. During the third wave, the worst affected district is Punjab, where the NCOC report 2,403 new cases and 38 deaths in 24 hours.