• Over 3,000 more infected, 43 succumb to virus
• Pakistan finalises prerequisites for vaccine request

ISLAMABAD: With the country reporting another 3,119 infections and 43 deaths, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday revealed that Abbottabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi and Hyderabad had recorded the highest Covid-19 positivity ratio.

The ratio is calculated on the basis of positive results in 100 samples.

With the latest count, the number of active cases has reached 52,359 with 3,001 patients in hospitals and 337 on ventilators.

According to the NCOC data, the national positivity ratio was 7.59 per cent with the highest observed in Abbottabad at 17.57pc. Rawalpindi came in second with 15.26pc followed by Karachi at 14.31pc and Hyderabad, 12.13pc.

The rate in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was recorded at 11.24pc, Sindh, 10.74pc; Balochistan, 10.46pc; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9.68pc; Islamabad, 5.27pc; Punjab, 4.15pc and Gilgit-Baltistan, 3.92pc.

In Punjab, Rawalpindi topped with 15.26pc followed by Lahore at 6.5pc, Faisalabad, 2.07pc and Multan 2.06pc.

In Sindh, Karachi reported 14.31pc positivity ratio while Hyderabad, 12.13pc. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abbottabad had a positivity rate of 17.57pc, Peshawar, 10.63pc and Swat, 4.31pc. Quetta’s positivity ratio stood at 6.42pc whereas in AJK Muzaffarabad topped with 10.61pc and Mirpur, 5.77pc.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has completed all prerequisites to submit the vaccine request to GAVI through the Covax facility — a coalition for equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines by all countries.

Releasing the application template on Nov 17, GAVI had fixed Dec 7 as the deadline to receive the application.

The Expanded Programme on Immunisation, under the guidance of the Ministry of National Health Services, established a technical working group that worked 24/7 to complete the consultation process with all stakeholders on board.

According to a statement, the proposal drafted therein was endorsed by the National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) on Dec 1 and approved by the National Interagency Coordination Committee (NICC) in a meeting presided over by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan.

The participants of the meeting, convened through video link, included the director general health, representative of the finance ministry, national and provincial EPI managers, representatives of WHO, Unicef, GAVI as well as other development partners and international donors.

“Covax facility would best benefit countries at advance level of preparedness. Endorsement from all stakeholders of a proposal developed through national consensus enhances Pakistan’s chances to be among the first countries to benefit from the initiative,” National Coordinator for EPI and Polio Eradication Dr Rana Mohammad Safdar said.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2020