ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the situation of COVID-19 in Pakistan, directed the concerned authorities to ensure vaccination of children aged 5 to 12 years on an emergency basis.
The Prime Minister, who chaired a meeting to review the situation of COVID-19 in the country, directed the authorities to further improve screening at border points as well as airports.
They also called for a report on a third-party review of the screening process at border points and airports.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said that it is gratifying that no death related to Covid has been reported from across the country in the last 15 weeks, while the entire nation is grateful to the countries that have donated vaccines to Pakistan.
The prime minister said the drop in the rate of Covid infections was encouraging but “we have to be vigilant all the time”.
He appreciated the efforts of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) and other concerned officials to control the spread of Corona virus.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed about the current situation of Covid, new forms, ongoing efforts and vaccination status.
It was reported that Pakistan was apparently not at risk from the new strain as about 90 percent of the population was fully vaccinated and 95 percent partially vaccinated.
About 5 million children aged 5 to 12 years have been immunized, which is 25 percent of the total strength, and the target of full vaccination will be achieved in the next few months.
The meeting was informed that the average infection rate in the country is around 0.2-0.5%.
He told the meeting participants that there is an effective mechanism at the borders to prevent the entry of COVID into the country.
Moreover, the random sampling rate at the airport has been increased to 2%, besides ensuring fumigation of aircraft arriving from affected countries.
It was reported that Pakistan is among the few countries where genomic surveillance of Covid has been introduced for early detection of new strains.
