Islamabad first to reach 50pc fully vaccinated population

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has become the first city in Pakistan to have at least 50 per cent of its eligible population fully vaccinated against Covid-19, planning minister Asad Umar said as he urged accelerating the process in other cities.

In a tweet on Sunday, Umar, who is also head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said 71 per cent of Islamabad’s eligible population — aged 15 years and above — had received at least one dose of the vaccine. “Need to see an acceleration of second dose in other cities,” he added.

Pakistan has so far fully vaccinated more than 21 million people, while over 50 million are partially jabbed.

The development came as Pakistan’s recorded 3,153 new cases and 58 Covid-linked deaths in the 24 hours leading to Sunday, with the disease positivity ratio remaining below 6 per cent for the second consecutive day. Patients on critical care, however, remained high, at 5,370, according to the NCOC. Thus far, Pakistan’s total confirmed infections exceed 1.2 million, while the death toll is above 26,000.