NCOC has reduced the maximum duration between two doses from 42 to 28 days and at least six million doses of Covid-19 vaccine are likely to arrive in a week.
On Wednesday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) decided to reduce the maximum duration for the second dose after getting assurance from Gavi. Moreover, only fully vaccinated people have been permitted to travel by air from 1st Sept onwards. Also, all vaccination centers remained open on Independence Day and will be closed on Muharram 9 and 10.
Read more: When to get second dose of COVID vaccine? Dr Faisal clarifies
The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) shared data on Covid-19 with the National Assembly yesterday. According to a statement, the NCOC has decided to accelerate the Covid vaccination process, this is why it brought down the maximum duration between two doses from 42 to 28 days.
Moreover, all federating and administrative units were further informed that from 1st Sept, only vaccination certificates would be acceptable. This was meant to encourage people for inoculation and reduce the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, Dr Faisal Sultan, in his letter to the UK health authorities expressed his dismay over the decision to retain Pakistan on the ‘Red List’.
He also shared data of other countries like India, Iran and Iraq, which were on the ‘Amber List’, but Pakistan continued to remain on the ‘Red List’ despite its indicators being much better than the three nations of the region.
“While all countries in the world have worked hard to build and enhance their public health systems, our shared objective is reduction of risk that comes via international travel. In Pakistan’s view, this can be achieved with interventions focused directly on the traveller rather than on other metrics that will invariably be different and difficult to compare across different countries and complexities.” Dr Sultan added.
