ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday directed to expedite the process for procuring the two Covid-19 vaccines that have been approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.
He made these remarks during a cabinet committee meeting which was attended by Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health and SAPM on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister was informed that two vaccines have been approved for emergency use in the country and steps for the approval of more Covid-19 vaccines have been “fast-tracked”.
He was also informed that efforts are being made to procure the approved vaccines and their availability would be ensured in the first quarter of the year.
58 deaths, 1,900 new infections in 24 hours
The national tally of total active COVID-19 cases in the country on Tuesday reached 35,485 with 1,900 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 1,243 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours.
Fifty eight corona patients, 52 were under treatment in hospital and six in their respective homes or quarantines died on Monday, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC). During the last 24 hours most of the deaths had occurred in Punjab followed by the Sindh.
It added that out of the total 58 deaths during last 24 hours 37 patients died on ventilators.
The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 49 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 32 percent, Peshawar 31 percent and Lahore 38 percent.
The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per medical requirement of COVID patient) was also occupied in Four major areas of Peshawar 45 percent, Multan 38 percent, Karachi 40 percent and Rawalpindi 26 percent.
Around 321 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no COVID affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Balochistan.
Some 36,513 tests were conducted across the country on Monday, including 10,600 in Sindh, 13,151 in Punjab, 6,075 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 5,826 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 259 in Balochistan, 350 in GB, and 252 in AJK. Around 476,471 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients.
Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 523,011 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 8,654, Balochistan 18,622, GB 4,887, ICT 40,177, KP 63,825, Punjab 150,316 and Sindh 236,530.
About 11,055 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion.
Around 3,813 perished in Sindh among 20 of them died on Monday. 17 of them died in hospital and three out of the hospital. 4,460 in Punjab had died with 28 deaths in past 24 hours. 25 of them perished in the hospital and three out of the hospital. 1,791 in KP where eight of them died in hospital on Monday, 457 in ICT, 190 in Balochistan, 101 in GB and 243 in AJK among two of them succumbed to the deadly virus in hospital on Monday.
A total of 7,442,084 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 2,840 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.
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