ISLAMABAD: The weekly coronavirus positivity ratio in Pakistan has witnessed an increase from 0.85 percent to 1.24 percent, official data released by the National Institute of Health revealed here on Tuesday.
According to the NIH, last week countrywide a total of 72 Covid-19 positive cases were detected by performing 8,458 tests while this week a total of 47 cases were reported nationwide by conducting 3,777, tests.
Over the period, Pakistan health authorities did not report any death caused by the Covid-19 infection; however, two coronavirus patients are in critical condition and admitted to healthcare facilities.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic in February 2020, Pakistan has reported over 1.58 million Covid-19 cases, of which, 30,656 patients died. As of 26 August 2023, a total of 339,967,103 vaccine doses have been administered in the country.
When contacted, a senior official of the NIH said that the health authorities of Pakistan are closely monitoring the situation as in the previous week countrywide a total of 72 cases were reported but this week positivity has jumped up, so, there are variations in the numbers but there is no matter of concern.
The official said that so far, the government has not taken any decision regarding the start of a mass vaccination drive.
Recently, the Director General (DG) World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that Covid-19 cases worldwide are on the rise. In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the WHO chief on September 7, 2023 said: “We continue to see concerning trends for #COVID19. What worries us the most is the low level of at-risk people who have received a vaccine dose recently. Please don’t wait to get an additional dose if it is recommended for you”.
New coronavirus variants have raised concern across the world amid a rise in cases in the US and parts of Europe. The BA.2.86 variant, nicknamed “Pirola” is a newly-designated, highly-mutating variant of Omicron which triggered the surge in cases. A smaller wave of Covid-19 cases has meanwhile been fuelled by the newest dominant variant EG.5, or “Eris”. Pirola has more than 30 mutations, which according to Scott Roberts, Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist, is “notable”.
Meanwhile, Caretaker Federal Minister for Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Dr Nadeem Jan has affirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to enhancing immunisation coverage electronic immunisation registry and solarization of immunisation centres to be game changers.
The minister following a meeting with Dr Muhammad Ahmad Kazi, DG Federal Directorate of Immunization, who called on him, said that the introduction of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a powerful tool for preventing cervical cancer among young girls.
The minister stated that solarisation of immunization health facilities offers huge advantages, particularly with inconsistent power supply. He said that the ministry is taking the initiative of solarisation of approximately 400 EPI health facilities all across Pakistan in the first phase. The initiative will improve the overall effectiveness of immunisation programs. The initiative will expand to a large number of health facilities in round two, he said.
Jan further shared that the National Electronic Immunisation Registry is a powerful tool designed, developed and introduced by the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination to enhance the performance of the EPI Programme by facilitating the monitoring of individual immunisation schedules and maintaining an electronic child registry of immunisation. It aims to improve both coverage and efficiency of the immunisation programme towards Universal Immunization Coverage.
The federal health minister expressed confidence in Pakistan’s ability to enhance the immunisation coverage through continued dedication and cooperation achieving the universal immunisation coverage.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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