Pakistan Prime Minister directs immediate Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 5 to 12

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to ensure the vaccination of children aged 5-12 years on an urgent basis.

The prime minister, who chaired the meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the country, instructed that screening at border points as well as airports be further improved. He also sought a report on a third-party evaluation of the screening process at border points and airports.

He noted that no Covid-related death was reported from across the country in the last 15 weeks and said the whole nation was thankful for the countries which had donated vaccines to Pakistan.

The Prime Minister said the decline in the ratio of Covid infection was good but "we have to be alert all the time."

He appreciated the efforts by the NCOC and other relevant office bearers for containing the spread of the virus.

During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed about the current Covid situation, new variants, ongoing efforts, and the status of vaccination. The briefing stated that Pakistan apparently faced no threat from the new variant as almost 90 per cent of the population was fully vaccinated and 95 per cent partially vaccinated.

Around five million children of 5-12 years of age have been vaccinated. This is 25 per cent of the total population in this age range in the country. It was announced in the briefing that the target of full vaccination would be achieved within the next few months.

An infection ratio of 0.2 to 0.5 per cent average was reported in the country.

The participants of the meeting were told that an effective mechanism was in place at the borders to contain the spread of Covid-19. Moreover, the ratio of random sampling at the airport has been increased to 2 per cent besides ensuring the fumigation of the planes coming from the affected countries.

It was also noted that Pakistan was among very few countries where genomic surveillance of Covid-19 has been introduced to ensure early detection of the new variants.

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• coronavirus
• Pakistan