Video: Pakistan PM gets Covid jab, urges citizens to follow safety rules

Islamabad - Pakistan reported a major surge in new coronavirus infections on Thursday, driven by an uptick in cases in its richest state.

By Web report

Published: Thu 18 Mar 2021, 5:08 PM

Last updated: Thu 18 Mar 2021, 5:29 PM

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was vaccinated against the novel coronavirus on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, the political leader appealed to the nation to ensure strict compliance to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) amid an ongoing third wave of the virus.

As part of the vaccination drive being carried out across the country, those aged 60 years and above as well as frontline workers are being given priority to get the jab.

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Pakistan reported a major surge in new coronavirus infections on Thursday, driven by an uptick in cases in its richest state.

Authorities have said the UK variant of the virus found in the country could be a factor for the rise in numbers.

Most of the new cases came from Pakistan’s largest and richest province, Punjab.

Pakistani minister Asad Umar earlier took to Twitter to warn of stricter curbs if rules were not followed.

On Thursday, Pakistan also reversed a decision to allow uncapped prices for Covid-19 vaccines imported by private firms.

Currently, four Covid vaccines have been approved for emergency use in the South Asian country: Sinopharm, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sputnik-V and Cansino Bio.