2.3m Covid vaccination jabs administered in a week: Umar

(Karachi) Planning Minister Asad Umar has said that 2.3 million Covid vaccinations were carried out from June 12 to 18, which is the highest in any week so far.

In a tweet on Sunday, Umar said: "More than 23 lakh vaccinations were done at a rate of 332,877 per day. This is the highest so far in any week."

He added, "With 1.5 million vaccines arriving today and another almost 5 million in next 10 days, inshallah next week will be a new record." He remarked, "Well done Pakistan."

Meanwhile, at least 37 deaths and 1,050 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the last 24 hours across the country, which brings the total number of people who have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic to 948,268, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported.

The death toll has reached 21,977 while the country's Covid positivity rate is 2.55 percent. The total number of critically ill patients is 2,296.

As many as 41,065 tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours. At least 1,282 people recovered from the deadly disease while 73,087 people have been fully vaccinated during the said period.

In wake of rising Covid cases, the NCOC issued new guidelines to curb the spread of the virus. The forum decided to implement broader lockdowns and restrict the movement of people. It banned all indoor and outdoor activities, including social, cultural, political, sports, and other miscellaneous events.

On June 7, the NCOC eased lockdown restrictions and allowed the opening of restaurants for outdoor dining. The government also reopened schools in areas with a low positivity ratio of Covid cases.

However, the NCOC said that academic activities will remain suspended in districts where the coronavirus positivity rate is still high.

Similarly, the NCOC decided to initiate a vaccination campaign on a massive scale under the "whole of the nation approach" in collaboration with various public and private partners.

The NCOC had set a target to vaccinate 70 million people by the end of this year. Planning Minister Asad Umar said that the acceleration of the vaccination drive in the country was made possible by the huge investment by the federal government.

He added that the government will spend much more next year on the procurement of vaccines.