Punjab to vaccinate medical colleges, universities students

The decision is aimed to ensure the protection of each individual who is at risk of getting infected with the disease.

The announcement came after a high-level meeting was chaired by Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid.

"Strict implementation of SOPs led to a reduction in coronavirus tests. As of today, 901 cases emerged across the province. For the first time, less than a thousand cases have been reported across the province," Dr Yasmin Rashid had said. 

The meeting also debated on a possible move to vaccinate people employed in 30 other sectors where the risk of contracting the virus. 

The Punjab Health Minister said the provincial government was increasing shots, adding that data was being collected to boost the scope of the immunizations in Punjab. 

"NCOC targets Punjab for 140,000 more vaccinations in May," she added. Highlighting that wearing a mask could save up to 72% chances of virus transmission, the minister had urged the citizens to strictly observe the COVID-19 protocols.

According to a report released by the Punjab Health Department,  the COVID positivity ratio in Punjab has come down by a large margin.

The positivity rate came down to 3.13 per cent in Punjab whereas, in Lahore, the rate has reduced to 2.42%.

Pakistan is presently experiencing the third wave of coronavirus which is said to be deadlier and more contagious than the previous two waves.

According to National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), around 2,253 cases of coronavirus were reported while 92 people succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 20,400.

The total number of confirmed cases reached 905,852.

As many as 823, 57 patients have recovered from the disease with 4,723 critical cases.

Punjab                                                                                  

The number of patients swelled to 335,577 in the province with 9,839 causalities.

Sindh

The number of infections have surged to 310,577 in the province, while the death toll has reached 4,936.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The confirmed cases have surged to 130,187 in the province with 3,970 casualties.

Balochistan

There are 24,638 confirmed cases while 270 patients have died from the infection so far.

AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan

There are 18,852 coronavirus cases in the AJK while the death toll has reached 532. On the other hand, there are 5,512 cases in GB with 107 coronavirus deaths.

Islamabad

There are 80,592 cases in the capital city while 746 people have lost their lives.