Yesterday, Prime Minister Imran Khan presided over a federal cabinet meeting where it was decided that all restrictions placed on business activities to counter the novel coronavirus from spreading will be lifted from March 1st.
The restrictions were placed last year when the virus was spreading like wildfire across Pakistan. Also discussed during the meeting was the current situation of the coronavirus and the progress made towards curbing it. Pakistan’s overall economic and political progress was also discussed.
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Prime Minister Imran Khan apprised the attendees about the current coronavirus pandemic situation in the country. Talking about the vaccine, he stated that around 50 percent of the frontline healthcare workers have been administered the vaccine and the country is witnessing a decrease in the overall coronavirus cases.
Moreover, the premier recognized how much of a toll the pandemic has had on the country’s economic progress, adding that the situation is improving with each day.
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During the cabinet meeting, it was decided that around 100 digitally equipped vehicles will be deployment across Islamabad to improve the city’s security.
Furthermore, Sheikh Rasheed, the Federal Minister for Interior, informed that 30 check posts in Islamabad have been removed and the remaining three will be removed as well once the digitally-equipped vehicles arrive.
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Last week, Pakistan’s drug regulator has approved another Chinese COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country, a top health official said on Saturday.
Dr Faisal Sultan, the special assistant to the prime minister on health, told Anadolu Agency that Islamabad has given authorization of the emergency use of single-dose CanSino vaccine.
The approval, he said, has been given after a “successful” phase-three trials of the vaccine in the country.
Pakistan is the second country after Mexico to have authorized the emergency use of the CanSino vaccine. Islamabad has already authorized the emergency use of China’s Sinopharm, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Russia’s Sputnik vaccine.
Earlier this month, Pakistan received 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine as a “gift” from China. Another 1.1 million pre-ordered doses are expected later this month.
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