ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s health ministry resumed the nationwide campaign on Monday amid an uptick in coronavirus cases across the country.

At least 4,525 new coronavirus infections were reported in the past 24 hours – a record this year – taking the total tally to 659,116 cases and 14,256 deaths in the country of 220 million since February last year.

The latest anti-polio vaccination drive aims to inoculate more than 40 million children under the age of five.

Health Minister Dr. Faisal Sultan said that while the pandemic poses a challenge for the anti-polio drive, authorities were “committed to ensure continuity of essential public health services during these difficult times.”

“COVID-19 continues to challenge us, but...it is an absolute must that all our eligible children stay protected against vaccine preventable diseases including polio,” he added.

“During the five-day campaign, around 285,000 frontline workers, respecting COVID-19 safety protocols, will go door-to-door in all 156 districts across Pakistan to give polio drops,” a statement by the health ministry’s Pakistan Polio Eradication Program (PPEP) said on Monday.

“Frontline workers and program staff have been diligently trained to adhere to COVID-19 precautionary measures, keeping communities and themselves safe from the virus,” the PPEP added.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the three countries where polio — a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus — is still endemic.

Polio is a highly infectious disease mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from the disease.