Rising Covid cases worry authorities
SECOND VACCINE DOSE TO BE GIVEN EVEN IF TEXT MESSAGE NOT RECEIVED, GOVERNMENT SAYS
Pakistan is showing no sign of let-up in Covid-19 cases, yesterday the country reported 2,607 new cases of coronavirus in a period of 24 hours.
As per statistics issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) 48,816 people were tested for the infection on Saturday out of whom 2,603 turned out to be positive.
Pakistan’s positivity ratio has climbed to 5.34 per cent, it further said.
Active cases spike
The number of active cases is also on the rise and yesterday the NCOC reported 47,531 positive cases in the country.
Pakistan also reported 21 deaths from the infection over the last 24 hours.
After the new additions, the total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan since the pandemic began has risen to 989,275, while the death toll in the country reached 22,781.
8% positivity in Islamabad
According to Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat, Covid-19 positivity in Islamabad is showing alarming trends and in the last 24 hours more than 400 business houses were inspected and action was taken over violations of protocols.
The Deputy Commissioner further noted in a tweet that during the last two weeks the positivity rate in Islamabad has jumped from 1 per cent to 8 per cent.
“Around 40 per cent cases are suffering from delta variant. Admission in hospitals has increased from 100 to 159 which is not as high because of high vaccination rate in Islamabad,” he tweeted.
Norms for second dose
Earlier, the Pakistan government decided to administer a second dose of Covid-19 vaccine to those who have not yet received text message for the same. A large number of people intending to get the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine were being sent back from vaccination centres because they failed to show the SMS that their second dose was due.
However, NCOC has now decided no one would be sent back.
Pakistan received 1.23 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine which was the fourth consignment sent by the international alliance COVAX.
The NCOC was receiving complaints that a large number of people went to vaccination centres as soon as their second doses became due, but were sent back by the staff saying that they should visit after they got the message from the helpline, said a spokesperson of the National Command and Operation Centre.
No jabs on first day of Eid
Keeping in view over 500,000 people are being vaccinated on a daily basis, the NCOC has decided that vaccination centres would remain closed on only the first day of Eid Al Adha (Wednesday).
5.34% is the positivity rate recorded in the country