-During his visit to NCOC along with Army Chief, PM directs NCOC to maximize efforts for mandatory vaccination drive
-Appreciates efforts of NCOC for synergized response during Pandemic
-Presents NCOC memento to Lieutenant General Hamood Uz Zaman
By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday visited the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC).
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Director-General of the NCOC Major General Asif Mahmood Goraya apprised the forum on the latest COVID-19 situation, measures in place to contain the spread of the disease and vaccine administration, including future COVID-19 management strategy.
PM Imran Khan appreciated the efforts of the NCOC and all federating units for a synergised response during the pandemic for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the people of Pakistan. Imran Khan directed all stakeholders to maximise efforts for mandatory vaccination drive and enforcement of requisite Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs).
Later, the premier presented NCOC memento to Lieutenant General Hamood Uz Zaman Khan, on his retirement, for outstanding services rendered as the National Coordinator at the NCOC, the statement said. He was lauded for playing an instrumental role in the nation’s fight against COVID-19 through flawless management of resources and seamless coordination among all stakeholders.
Covid-19 cases have been on the decline in Pakistan. The country reported less than 1,000 infections for the third day in a row on Monday, recording 663 Covid cases during the last 24 hours.
NCOC in a tweet on its official handle shared the latest disease statistics.
The nerve centre of the country in its fight against the pandemic wrote that some 39,902 tests were conducted across the country with 663 more people tested positive for the contagious disease. There were 1,913 Covid infected patients under treatment in critical condition in various Covid dedicated healthcare facilities of the country.
The National Covid positivity ratio during past 24 hours was recorded 1.66%. The Covid positivity ratio is the percentage of actual positive cases appearing in every 100 tests performed to identify infected individuals.
During the past 24 hours, some 11 infected patients died due to the deadly virus including those under treatment in the hospitals and in their respective quarantines or homes.
On Saturday, NCOC data had shown that the number of critical patients, which stood at around 6,000 in August, had fallen to around 2,000. Last week, in view of the slowing spread of the disease, the NCOC had lifted restrictions on one-day weekly closure of businesses and reopened cinemas and shrines for fully vaccinated people.
However, it kept NPIs in place from October 16 till 31 in districts with a high prevalence of coronavirus cases. The forum also raised the number of guests attending indoor weddings from 200 to 300 and those participating in outdoor marriage events from 300 to 500. It further said the NPIs would be reviewed at a meeting set for Oct 28. Days earlier, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had launched #StopTheSpread, a Covid-19 project to increase awareness about how vaccinations saved lives.
An amount of $20 million from The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) will be utilised to work with non-profit organizations in order to respond to the virus and its variants. The programme aims to reach out to around 20 million Pakistanis in about a year through its various interventions.
