• 60m doses administered countrywide
• Another doctor falls victim to Covid-19
• US to deliver 6.6m Pfizer vaccines in 10 days

ISLAMABAD: As the country achieved the milestone of having administered over 60 million vaccine doses, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday decided to reserve Sunday (today) for those people who have still not received their second dose.

It also decided to keep vaccination centres open on Sept 6 in order to inoculate maximum number of people without any interruption and achieve herd immunity at the earliest.

On the other hand, the US embassy in Pakistan announced that Washington would be delivering additional 6.6m Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to Islamabad.

The latest decision by the NCOC comes a day after more curbs, including shutting down of educational institutions, were introduced in 24 districts.

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, who heads the NCOC, had briefed Prime Minister Imran Khan on the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country on Friday and informed him about the steps being taken to stem the spread of the virus.

The districts where the new restrictions have been enforced are Rawal­pindi, Lahore, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Rahimyar Khan, Khanewal, Bhakkar, Multan and Bahawalpur in Punjab, Haripur, Malakand, Mansehra, Swabi, Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, Abbottabad and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as Islamabad.

Keeping in view the difference between partially and fully vaccinated people, the NCOC decided to keep vaccination centres open on Sunday and advised people to go for complete inoculation.

“Those who have not gotten the second jab despite passage of their due date are suggested to visit vaccination centres any day in the week even if they have not received a message from the 1166 helpline. Sunday has been especially dedicated to those who have to get the second dose,” a statement issued by the NCOC said.

It is worth mentioning here that the number of people who have received the second dose is 50pc less than those who have just had the first shot.

According to the forum, 45,498,115 people have been partially vaccinated while only 18,512,319 are fully inoculated.

On the other hand, it was announced on Saturday that over 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered across the country.

According to data, 79 patients breathed their last while 3,980 people contracted the virus in the last 24 hours, putting the national positivity rate at 6.21pc.

10th ENT surgeon dies of Covid-19 ENT surgeon Dr Hafeez Sheikh lost his battle against Covid-19 in Karachi on Saturday.

Talking to Dawn, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) General Secretary Dr Qaiser Sajjad said: “He was the 10th ENT surgeon who has died in Pakistan. I suggest all doctors to take extra care because the Delta variant is lethal.”

He said Dr Sheikh was admitted to Ziauddin Hospital in July and was then shifted to Aga Khan Hospital after his condition deteriorated.

“Dr Sheikh was a good ENT surgeon, an excellent human being and very friendly to everyone,” Dr Sajjad said.

NHMP’s recruitment drive rescheduled

The National Highway and Motorway Police’s (NHMP) recruitment drive against 300 posts of patrolling officer/sub-inspector, which was scheduled to from Sept 6, has been rescheduled for Sept 20.

According to a statement, the decision has been taken in light of the NCOC’s decision to ban inter-provincial public transport.

US to deliver more Pfizer vaccines

The United States will be delivering additional 6.6 million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to Pakistan in the next 10 days through Covax facility.

With this donation, the total number of Covid-19 vaccines donated by the US to Pakistan will come to 15.8 million, the American embassy’s press release said on Saturday.

This tranche of 6.6 million vaccines is part of the 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccines the United States had purchased this summer to deliver to 92 countries and economies worldwide, including Pakistan.

“The United States and Pakistan are partnering to overcome the fourth Covid-19 wave in Pakistan,” said US Embassy Chargé d’ Affaires Angela P. Aggeler.

“Together, our efforts to rush vaccine doses to Pakistan and distribute them to the Pakistani population will increase the numbers of fully vaccinated Pakistanis and ease the burden on the healthcare workers. This donation comes just as young Pakistanis, now including those over 17, are getting their first jabs,” Ms Aggeler said.

The statement further said the US has also delivered more than $63 million in Covid-19 assistance through its partnership with the Pakistani government.

“Since the start of the pandemic, the United States has worked together with Pakistan to improve infection prevention and control, enhance patient care, expand laboratory testing and support frontline healthcare workers,” it added.

The United States is the single largest contributor supporting Covax efforts toward global Covid-19 vaccines access.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2021