ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Tuesday said the numbers of COVID-19 patients were increasing day by day as its second wave was more lethal as compared to first so everyone should adopt caring measures to control it from spreading at large scale in the country.

Talking to a private news channel, he said that the opposition parties should take the virus as a serious threat and they have to avoid to hold public gatherings during this crucial time of pandemic.

He said, the opposition parties were intentionally playing with lives of the people and pushing them into danger by holding public gatherings in this time.

The minister said during the first wave of coronavirus the government had controlled the deadly virus with adopting effective policy and at that time opposition parties did not show rigidness over the issue but now they were not cooperating in this regard.

Replying to a question, he said it was wrong that deaths were happened in the Peshawar hospital due to non availability of the oxygen but it was a criminal negligence, adding the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had ordered to investigate the matter.

The oxygen was available in all the governmental hospitals according to need, he added.

Asad Umar said, the Pakistan Democratic Movement was holdings failed gatherings and the government was not scared about them.

To another query about coronavirus vaccine, he said vaccine for the deadly virus would be available in the first quarter of 2021 and it would be provided to health workers and old citizens on priority basis.