Islamabad: With the rise of corona virus infection, a five-day anti-polio campaign started across the country from Monday.
About 150,000 health workers are taking part in a five-day polio campaign to vaccinate 22.4 million children under the age of five, according to a statement issued by Shehzad Baig, coordinator of the polio programme. The last campaign took place weeks ago when the country saw a decline in Covid-19 cases. Officials are hopeful that the latest campaign will help make Pakistan a polio-free nation.
Pakistan has been running a routine vaccination campaign for 25 years, in which health workers go door-to-door to administer polio medicine to children. Most of the workers are women, as they may have better access to mothers and children. Officials have beefed up security for polio teams.
The latest anti-polio campaign begins amid a steady rise in coronavirus cases. In the last 24 hours, the country recorded over 7,000 Covid-19 cases, one of the highest daily infections since June 2020.
Besides, four more people succumbed to the deadly virus in Sindh province during the last 24 hours, while 2,319 tested positive, including 1,882 tests in Karachi, while 12,224 tests were conducted, officials said.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his daily COVID-19 status report, said, "Five people lost their lives due to complications of COVID-19, including two in East district, one in Korangi, while two deaths are under investigation. was." Karachi's Covid-19 positivity rate stood at 37.23 per cent on Sunday, officials said.
Of the 2,319 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the province after 12,224 were tested, 1,882 were from Karachi, it said, adding that the district tested 830 people in East, 483 in South, 242 in Central, 144 in Korangi. 123 people were tested in Malir. and 60 in District West. The Sindh CM said that at present, 451 patients are being treated in various health facilities in the province, out of which 391 are reported to be in critical condition, including 21 on ventilators.
As far as vaccination is concerned, the Chief Minister said that in the last 24 hours, around 150,022 vaccine doses were administered to people across the province, and so far 33,362,019 doses have been administered in the province.