Pakistan has fully vaccinated 33% of its population against the novel coronavirus as the country rushes to tackle the threat of the new Omicron variant.

In a tweet on Thursday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced that 620,643 doses of the vaccine were administered across the country in the past 24 hours. So far, 124,054,300 doses have been administered since the country began its drive against Covid-19 this year.

"33% of Pakistan’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated!! If you are still unvaccinated, please get your dose now! Stay safe!" the centre tweeted.

On Wednesday, the NCOC had approved booster shots of coronavirus vaccines for healthcare workers, immunocompromised people and those aged over 50 years amid the spread of the Omicron variant in other countries.

The meeting decided that the shots would be free and administered six months after the last vaccine dose. The forum also directed authorities to adopt a zero-tolerance policy, saying people will be “vaccinated on the spot, if found unvaccinated”.

Pakistan allows booster shots for healthcare workers, people over 50 amid new variant fears

A special campaign has begun for the implementation of obligatory regime. The forum instructed the provinces and authorities concerned to show zero-tolerance policy regarding obligatory vaccination regime. Call centres have been established to reach out to the people who have not received their second dose.

Country reports 377 positive Covid-19 cases

Meanwhile, during the last 24 hours, the country conducted 44,137 tests out of which 377 came out positive. The positivity ratio was recorded at 0.85% in the past 24 hours. So far, Pakistan has reported 1,285,631 Covid-19 cases.

The country also reported eight deaths, taking the death toll to 28,745. There are 14,168 active cases in the country, of which 904 are critical. Moreover, 364 people also recovered from the virus, taking the total recoveries to 1,242,718.