Vaccine registration open for Pakistanis aged 65 and above
‘Pleased to announce that registration for geting COVID-19 vaccine is now open for all citizens 65 and above. Just write down your CNIC number and send message on 1166,’ says minister
Federal Minister Asad Umar announced on Monday that the government would start administering COVID-19 vaccine to the citizens of 65 and above from next month.
“Pleased to announce that registration for geting COVID-19 vaccine is now open for all citizens 65 and above. Just write down [yo] ur CNIC number and send message on 1166. Inshallah vaccinations for this age group will start in March,” he said in a tweet.
The minister is the overall in-charge of the government’s campaign against the coronavirus and heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
The government has already allowed private parties to import vaccines and administer to the people on the commercial basis.
Meanwhile, the number of active cases in Pakistan has reduced by half in two-and-a-half months. They had surpassed the 50,000 mark in December 2020 but started decreasing the following month, officials said.
This is the second time that active cases have been on the decline, as earlier the number of active cases had started dropping during the first wave of COVID-19 ater crossing the 50,000 mark in June 2020.
The number of active cases kept decreasing the following months and finally reached below 6,000 in September. However, their number began growing again to have reached 11,190 on Oct.27 and 30,362 on Nov.18, following which the government officially announced the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic. The active cases kept rising and surpassed the 50,000 mark in December.
With the renewed measures intended to flaten the curve, active cases have been on the decline since December and reduced by half at present.
According to the NCOC, 1,404 cases and 31 deaths were reported due to COVID-19 in a single day, bringing the total number of active cases across the country to 25,635. Of them, only 2,125 patients are under treatment at hospitals. The NCOC data shows that 264 coronavirus patients have been put on ventilators.
The government also shared the data of ventilators occupancy in different cities, with 37 per cent of ventilators in use in Lahore and Multan, 30 per cent in Islamabad and 25 per cent in Peshawar. The virus has so far claimed 12,307 lives in Pakistan.
Pakistan will soon receive 17 million doses of the Uk-developed Oxford University AstraZeneca vaccine, with delivery of the first consignment of 7 million doses expected before April through the Covax facility. The next 10 million doses will come later, likely before June. This will help protect 8.5 million people from the virus.
According to a statement issued by British High Commission, the United Kingdom’s worldleading support to COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (Covax) will help Pakistan in its coronavirus vaccination programme.
“So far, the UK has commited £548 million to the global Covax initiative, making the UK the largest single donor. The Covax initiative is the key way that more than 180 countries will have fair, early access to COVID-19 vaccines. The UK has also encouraged other countries to contribute over $1 billion to Covax,” it stated.
Covax has commited to supplying vaccines for 45 million Pakistanis this year alone. Covax is an international initiative to support the discovery, manufacture and fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for one billion people by the end of 2021.
British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner said the people of the UK and Pakistan had come together to fight COVID-19.
“The Covax facility has been the main way the world has united to make sure all countries get the vaccines they need as quickly as possible, including Pakistan. The UK has been a world leader in supporting Covax, and Covax has commited to supplying Pakistan with COVID-19 vaccines for 45 million people this year,” he added.
A lab will soon receive Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for commercial sale, a company official said on Sunday, making Pakistan one of the first countries to market shots privately as it scrambles to secure supplies.