US-donated vaccine flying in today

Health ministry says strategy to be formulated to administer Moderna vaccine to intending travellers

ISLAMABAD:

The arrival of coronavirus vaccine from various sources is continuing to supplement the national vaccination drive across the country, as the 2.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine donated to Pakistan by the US government are flying in on Friday (today).

In a session earlier this week, chaired by National Coordinator Lt Gen Hamooduz Zaman Khan, the National Command Operations Centre (NCOC), expressed satisfaction over the availability of the coronavirus vaccine in the country.

The national health services ministry said on Thursday that 2.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine were part of the US administration’s vaccine aid to the Asian countries. “A strategy will be formulated soon to administer the Moderna vaccine to those intending to travel abroad,” the ministry said.

In addition to the Chinese anti-corona vaccine, the government had also approved AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. The Russian-made Sputnik vaccine was also being imported by the private sector for its use in the country. The government expects more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine this month.

Meanwhile, the national tally of active Covid-19 cases inched up to 31,767, as 1,037 more people tested positive for the virus while 836 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours, the NCOC said in its daily update of the disease.

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The national Covid positivity ratio during the past 24 hours was recorded at 2.2%. Among the active cases, 1,844 patients remained under treatment in critical condition in various Covid-dedicated healthcare facilities of the country, including 239 on ventilators.

The NCOC said 40 patients died during the past 24 hours, 36 of whom were under treatment in  hospitals, including 20 on ventilators. Most of the deaths, 28, occurred in Sindh, followed by 8 in Punjab, it added.

Some 46,145 tests were conducted across the country on Wednesday, including 14,520 in Sindh, 17,107 in Punjab, 10,066 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 2,808 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 637 in Balochistan, 455 in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), and 552 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Since the pandemic broke out, a total of 958,408 cases were detected – AJK 20,343, Balochistan 27,178, G-B 6,138, ICT 82,706, K-P 138,068, Punjab 346,301 and Sindh 337,674. Among them 904,320 people have recovered from the disease so far, depicting over 90% recovery ratio.

The nationwide death toll rose to 22,321 on Wednesday. Among them 5,464 people perished in Sindh, 10,755 in Punjab, 4,320 in K-P, 779 in ICT, 309 in Balochistan, 111 in G-B and 583 people in AJK, the NCOC said.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)