Pakistan administers 2.24 million coronavirus vaccines in a single day

People gather to get themselves inoculated with the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination camp organised at the Expo center in Lahore on April 28, 2021. (AFP/File)
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Updated 11 February 2022
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Pakistan administers 2.24 million coronavirus vaccines in a single day

  • The government has been vaccinating over two million people on a daily basis for four consecutive days
  • Pakistan launched a door-to-door inoculation drive earlier this month to administer over 35 million shots

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has set another record by administering 2.24 million coronavirus vaccines in a single day, said the country's planning minister Asad Umar in a Twitter post on Friday.

The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the country's main pandemic response body, announced to launch a door-to-door coronavirus vaccination drive earlier this month to administer over 35 million shots as officials said Pakistan was witnessing the fifth wave of the pandemic.

The initiative was taken to accelerate the official immunization campaign amid a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant of the virus.

"Another record set with 2.24 million vaccinations in a day," Umar said on Twitter. "Last 4 days in a row we have vaccinated more than 2 million each day. Every 3 out of 4 pakistani's eligible for vaccination have received at least 1 dose. 58% are fully vaccinated. Well done Pakistan."

Pakistan has reported a decline in the number of fresh COVID-19 infections in recent days.

It reported 8,183 new cases on January 27. Official statistics reveal, however, that only 3,498 people were diagnosed with the disease on Thursday when Pakistan conducted 58,077 tests and recorded a positivity ratio of 6.02 percent.

The country reported 39 deaths in the last 24 hours, with 1,663 patients were on critical care during the same period.

Umar, who also supervises the NCOC, said earlier this week the government's mobile inoculation campaign was "producing outstanding results," adding that its objective was to "reach all citizens to allow us to finally end all covid related restrictions."


ADB, Pakistan sign over $300 million agreements to undertake climate resilience initiatives

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ADB, Pakistan sign over $300 million agreements to undertake climate resilience initiatives

  • Pakistan ranks among nations most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in weather patterns
  • The projects in Sindh and Punjab will restore nature-based coastal defenses and enhance agricultural productivity

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed more than $300 million agreements to undertake two major climate resilience initiatives, Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID) said on Tuesday.

The projects include the Sindh Coastal Resilience Sector Project (SCRP), valued at Rs50.5 billion ($180.5 million), and the Punjab Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Agriculture Mechanization Project (PCRLCAMP), totaling Rs34.7 billion ($124 million).

Pakistan ranks among nations most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns. In 2022, monsoon floods killed over 1,700 people, displaced another 33 million and caused over $30 billion losses, while another 1,037 people were killed in floods this year.

The South Asian country is ramping up climate resilience efforts, with support from the ADB and World Bank, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable areas.

“Both sides expressed their commitment to effectively utilize the financing for successful and timely completion of the two initiatives,” the PID said in a statement.

The Sindh Coastal Resilience Project (SCRP) will promote integrated water resources and flood risk management, restore nature-based coastal defenses, and strengthen institutional and community capacity for strategic action planning, directly benefiting over 3.8 million people in Thatta, Sujawal, and Badin districts, according to ADB.

The Punjab project will enhance agricultural productivity and climate resilience across 30 districts, improving small farmers’ access to climate-smart machinery, introducing circular agriculture practices to reduce residue burning, establishing testing and training facilities, and empowering 15,000 women through skills development and livelihood diversification.

Earlier this month, the ADB also approved $381 million in financing for Pakistan’s Punjab province to modernize agriculture and strengthen education and health services, including concessional loans and grants for farm mechanization, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, and nursing sector reforms.