THERE is scarcely a national challenge that cannot be overcome with consensus and strong political will. The federal government’s achievement in fully vaccinating 100m people in the country over nine months is proof that great obstacles can be overcome if those in power are willing to put in the effort. In real terms, according to the latest figures, it means that the National Command and Operation Centre has been able to administer more than 218m doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. More than 101m people are fully vaccinated while 4.8m have also received their booster shots. With up to 2m vaccine doses being dispensed on a daily basis, the NCOC appears well on its way to immunising all eligible citizens in the country over the next few months.

Indeed, officials and staff at the NCOC must be lauded for their consistent work in reaching this important milestone. It is also on account of a robust and efficient vaccination campaign that many medical experts are now expressing the hope that most Pakistanis have developed at least short-term immunity against Covid-19. This evaluation is also reflected in the steady decline in cases and mortalities from the Covid-19 infection. The NCOC reported yesterday that four people had passed away in the country from the severity of the infection in the preceding 24 hours. The mortality figure for the two previous days was six and nine. That no new critical cases were reported yesterday is also a good sign, with the national positivity rate hovering around 1.8pc.However, despite the encouraging situation, the authorities should not become complacent. Strict vigilance and monitoring of the situation should continue until the world is rid of the new variants that have been emerging. Cases of Stealth Omicron (BA.2) variant, said to be 30pc more transmissible than Omicron, have been reported from several countries including India, Sweden, Denmark and the UK. Those in power should continue to advocate mask-wearing, vaccinate more people and stress on booster shots.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2022