Pakistan’s 48pc population fully vaccinated against Covid-19: NCOC

ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Monday announced that 48 percent of the country’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

This was stated during the ceremony at NCOC Head Office organised in honour of the provincial and district teams for achieving set vaccination targets.

NCOC Head and Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, National Coordinator Maj General Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan attended the ceremony.

The shields and appreciation letters were given to those districts and provinces that achieved the target of vaccinating more than 60% of the population and to those three remote districts that achieved maximum vaccination targets despite limited resources and difficult terrain.

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 ceremony was briefed that 48% of the eligible population stands fully vaccinated. Till 31 December 2021, the vaccination of 71.5 million individuals has been completed.

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

Addressing the prize distribution ceremony to recognize the services of all workers, NCOC Head Asad Umar once again appealed to people to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) to avoid the further spread of coronavirus cases amid the fifth Covid-19 wave.

Citizens who were fully vaccinated six months ago and are over 30 years of age, should go for booster doze, he urged people.

The fifth wave of the COVID-19 is intensifying with every passing as Pakistan reported 1,649 fresh cases of the pandemic during the past 24 hours.

According to the latest figures shared by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a total of 45,002 samples were tested during this period, out of which 1,649 turned out to be positive, showing a national positivity rate of 3.66 per cent as compared to yesterday’s 3.16%.

The death toll from the pandemic climbed to 28,972 after three more patients succumbed to the viral disease in the past 24 hours.

The number of COVID-19 patients in critical care in various hospitals across the country has come down to 617.