Umar urges provinces to follow NPIs to beat Covid

Planning Minister Asad Umar, who supervises the government’s anti-Covid strategy, reiterated on Monday his call on all the provinces to follow the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and the obligatory regime in letter and spirits in order to curtail the spread of the fifth wave of Covid-19.

Umar, the head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), told prize distribution ceremony that the people who had not been vaccinated so far must get the shots as soon as possible, while those fully vaccinated six months ago, should go for a booster doze.

Umar chaired the ceremony at NCOC Head Office to distribute appreciation certificates and shields among its provincial and district teams for achieving the vaccination targets and playing a vital role in tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

National Coordinator Maj Gen Zafar Iqbal and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan were also present at the ceremony. On the occasion, shields and appreciation letters were given to the districts and provinces which achieved the target of more than 60% vaccination.

The minister lauded the efforts of all the ground workers, vaccination teams, NCOC, health workers and federal as well as provincial agencies for the coordinated efforts that helped make the government’s anti-Covid campaign successful.

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“The campaign against coronavirus will be remembered because the whole nation made collective efforts to stop its spread,” he said. He advised the people once again to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to save themselves from coronavirus, which is currently spreading fast in the country.

Earlier, during the ceremony it was informed that 48 % of the eligible population stood fully vaccinated. Till 31 December 2021, the vaccination of 71.5 million individuals had been completed. In December 2021 alone, around 21.5 million people were vaccinated.

The district teams which received appreciation certificates and shields include Jhelum, Mianwali, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Attock, Bhakkar, Sargodha, Lodhran, Karachi South and East, Chitral Lower and Upper, Mastung, Chaman, Lasbela, Harnai, Awaran, Surab, Naseerabad, Hunza, Ghizer, Mirpur, Tharparkar, Orakzai and Neelam.

The top three districts who achieved the target of vaccinating maximum population, included Kalat (87%), Karachi South (82%), Islamabad (77%), while the three districts of remote area who achieved vaccination targets despite difficult terrain include Orakzai (54%), Neelam (56%) and Tharparkar (51%).