Govt closely liaising with Covid vaccine firms

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday was informed that the government was closely liaising with leading Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers — including those from China — to ensure the early availability of the vaccine.

The forum, during its daily morning session, was briefed that government authorities were regularly reviewing developments including data from vaccine candidates’ phase 3 clinical trials. The NCOC was informed that these steps would lead to a final decision about the early availability of the coronavirus vaccine in Pakistan.

The development came as the active coronavirus cases in Pakistan stood at 37,905 as of Wednesday after 2,142 more people tested positive for the virus, while 6,267 people recovered in a 24-hour-period.

Eighty-four Covid patients, 73 of whom were receiving treatment in hospitals, died. In the period, most of the deaths occurred in Punjab, followed by the Sindh, according to the NCOC. Of the day’s 84 fatalities, 47 patients died on ventilators.

At least 2,931 coronavirus patients are admitted in hospitals across the country, 319 of who are on ventilators. The most ventilators were occupied in Multan, with 55 per cent of its capacity full, followed by Islamabad 33 per cent, Peshawar 25 per cent and Lahore 34 per cent.

Peshawar, on the other hand, was leading in the occupancy of oxygen beds with 60 per cent of its beds full, followed by Rawalpindi 41 per cent, Abbottabad 35 per cent, and Multan 39 per cent.

Meanwhile, Sindh’s education minister Saeed Ghani said schools are unlikely to reopen in January. “Keeping in view the ongoing second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, it is unlikely that education institutes would be reopened in January 2021,” said Ghani while addressing a news conference in Karachi. However, the provincial minister asserted that students would not be promoted without sitting for examinations this time.