https://arab.news/yvypk
- Previous COVID-19 wave affected the employment of 20 million Pakistanis, Imran Khan says
- In its immunization drive, Pakistan has so far administered only 800,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said Pakistan would adopt "balanced" coronavirus response measures to keep the economy afloat as the country is struggling with a third wave of the pandemic.
Pakistan reported 4,757 new COVID-19 cases and 78 deaths in the past 24 hours, as it is observing a surge in infection numbers. The country of 220 million has recorded 667,957 virus cases and 14,434 related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in February last year.
“We have to adopt a balanced policy where the spread of the virus can be prevented and where the poor man and the country’s economy are least affected,” Khan said, as quoted in a statement by his office after chairing a National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting.
“The last wave of corona affected the employment of 20 million people in Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan imposed a strict countrywide lockdown in March 2020 to contain the spread of the virus, but as early as in mid-April the government began lifting it in phases — a move pushed primarily by fears of an economic meltdown. By August, all business activity reopened.
As the third wave is building, Pakistan has opted for “smart lockdowns” in areas where a significant surge in infections has been observed, restrictions on gatherings and public transportation, and stricter enforcement of mask wearing and health guidelines.
It is also hopeful that vaccination will help control the virus spread.
“The reason for that is the epidemic is at its peak right now and apart from all safety precautions an important strategy is vaccination,” the country’s health chief, Dr. Faisal Sultan said on Wednesday
“I want to tell you that more than 800,000 vaccine doses have been administered in Pakistan and we want to take this campaign further and speed it up,” Dr. Sultan said.
Having started its COVID-19 immunization drive in February, Pakistan has so far administered only 800,000 doses of vaccine, all of them from Sinopharm and donated by China. Another 500,000 million Sinopharm doses arrived in the country on Wednesday, Dr. Sultan said, and 500,000 more are expected to reach on Thursday.