Islamabad: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan tested positive for coronavirus, the PM’s aide on health Dr Faisal Sultan confirmed on Saturday. The prime minister is self-isolating at home, he said. It is suspected that his wife is also infected as PM's aide on overseas Pakistanis Zulfikar Bukhari wished both the prime minister and first lady 'a speedy recovery' on Twitter.
The prime minister is self-isolating at home, he said.
From politicians to celebrities to public, wishes for prayers and a speedy recovery poured in across social media after the news broke that PM Imran Khan has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Khan, 68, received the COVID-19 vaccine in Islamabad on March 18 days after Pakistan's President Dr Arif Alvi also got vaccinated. Both the leaders received the Sinopharm vaccine.
Vaccine misinformation
The fact that the premier got infected with coronavirus two days after he received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine led to the spread of misinformation on social media. Many people shared the prime minister’s vaccination video and questioned the efficacy of the vaccine.
Pakistan’s health officials quickly reacted to counter the spread of vaccine misinformation. “Prime Minister Imran Khan was not fully vaccinated when he contracted the virus” the health ministry said. He received the first dose just 2 days ago “which is too soon for any vaccine to become effective” as “anti-bodies develop 2-3 weeks after the second dose of 2-dose COVID vaccines” the health officials said on Twitter.
Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the government’s organization leading the fight against the pandemic, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), also strongly reacted to the disinformation in a bid to quash vaccine hesitancy and fears. “Some people [are] questioning the efficacy of vaccination since he [PM Khan] was vaccinated Thursday evening. The symptoms take a few days” to appear, Umar said. “It is certain that PM had been infected prior to vaccination. So please do vaccinate.”
Health experts say that it is only after receiving the second dose that the immunity to the virus fully kicks in. However, even after getting fully vaccinated, it’s important to continue to take basic precautions as the world continues to battle the pandemic.
Third wave of coronavirus
Pakistan is currently battling the infectious third wave of coronavirus due to the rapid spread of the UK variant of the virus. Several parts of the country, mostly urban areas, are currently under smart lockdown and maximum restrictions have been put in place to prevent the spread of the virus. Minister Asad Umar recently urged people to strictly follow public health guidelines warning about the spike in new cases. “Hospital daily admissions and people in critical care rising fast. If SOP [standard operating procedure] compliance does not improve, we will be forced to place stronger restrictions on activities. Please be very very careful. The new strain spreads faster and is more deadly.”
Pakistan on March 19 reported 3,876 confirmed COVID-19 cases – the highest in eight months –and at least 42 fatalities in the last 24 hours. The nationwide tally of the number of cases reached 623,135 and 13,799 total deaths, according to official data.
The country of 220 million people launched COVID-19 vaccinations in early February starting with the health workers. Mass vaccination for the vulnerable and elderly began on March 10. Pakistan this week opened a walk-in coronavirus vaccination facility for senior citizens above 70 years of age.
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