ISLAMABAD
Head of National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), Asad Umar has announced that Islamabad has become the first city in Pakistan with half of its eligible population fully vaccinated.
In a tweet on Sunday, Asad Umar announced that at least 50 percent of those 15 years of age and older have been vaccinated in the federal capital. He added, “71% of Islamabad eligible population has received at least one dose.”
The federal minister called for other cities to also accelerate the administration of a second jab against Covid to their population.
In the past 24 hours, Islamabad reported 270 new cases of Covid and one death. There were also 514 recoveries.
Umar’s tweet comes two days after the NCOC extended the coronavirus-induced restrictions in 24 districts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad Capital Territory for another week in the wake of high prevalence of the pandemic disease. The forum, which serves as the nerve centre of the government’s unified strategy to contain the spread of the disease, had imposed some additional restrictions in 24 districts from September 4-11, closing schools and indoor gatherings and restricting public transport.
Meanwhile, Pakistan reported 3,153 more coronavirus infections during the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally of confirmed cases to 1,204,520, data from the NCOC showed on Sunday.
According to the latest statistics, 57,792 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, out of which 3,153 returned positive. As per the NCOC’s data, the country’s Covid-19 positivity rate now stands at 5.45 percent.
58 more people succumbed to the novel coronavirus during the same period, bringing the country’s overall death toll from the virus to 26,720. The addition of 3,797 new recoveries overnight has pushed the total number of recoveries to 1,086,785 people, while the total number of active cases in the country stand at 91,015.
Meanwhile, Punjab reported 1,374 Covid-19 cases and 13 more deaths due to the virus during the past 24 hours. According to provincial health secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch, 3 deaths were reported from Lahore during the period.
He said that active cases in Punjab now total 26,235, adding that the tally of the positive cases in the province stood at 413,183. The official further stated that the total number of deaths due to the virus is currently at the 12,209 mark. The health secretary said that some 374,739 patients have recovered from the disease so far.
“As many as 20,863 tests were conducted in Punjab since Sunday, totaling 7,072,392 tests,” he added. The official informed that positivity ratio in the province is currently at 6.6 per cent, adding specific SOPs have been issued for various sectors. He urged the public to take strict precautions and get vaccinated, terming it the only and effective solution against the virus.
Sindh reported at least 891 new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 444,854. According to Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, 26 more patients succumbed to the deadly virus as the death toll surged to 7,159. He further said that 856 more patients recovered overnight, lifting the total to 388,481.
At least 20 more people contracted coronavirus in Balochistan during the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 31,637. According to health officials, no deaths were reported in the province. So far 342 patients have succumbed to the deadly virus. As many as 30,965 patients have recovered from the disease in the province thus far.
