Tag: NCOC

  • Punjab govt suspends health officers over Nawaz’s fake vaccination entry

    Punjab govt suspends health officers over Nawaz’s fake vaccination entry

    The Punjab government suspended the Medical Superintendent (MS) and a senior doctor of Lahore’s Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital over Nawaz Sharif’s fake vaccination entry case.

    MS Ahmed Nadeem and Dr Munir Ahmed have been asked to report directly to the health department, reported Geo News.

    According to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) watchman, Abul Hassan and ward boy Adil used the ID of a third employee, Naveed, to enter Sharif’s fake data into the system. Police registered cases against the three of them and arrested Abul Hassan and Adil.

    Moreover, the investigative team comprising officials from FIA and the provincial health department have seized important records from the hospital.

    A four-member team presented a report before Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar. The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) summoned the Punjab health secretary to Islamabad.

    A fake entry was made on the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) portal, which said that Nawaz, who is currently in London, was administered the first dose of Sinovac on September 22 and he is due to receive the second dose next month. The entry was later deleted from NADRA portal.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz said, “Just like this fake government, its vaccination record and entry data for vaccines is also fake.”

  • Pakistan lowers Covid vaccination eligibility age to 15

    Pakistan lowers Covid vaccination eligibility age to 15

    The government has officially decided to further lower the Covid vaccination eligibility age to 15 years, reported Geo News.

    Children between the ages of 15 and 18 will be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) said.

    According to the NCOC, Pfizer vaccine will be available at all central vaccination centres across the country. Moreover a registration certificate will be required for children up to the age of 18 to be vaccinated.

    In combating the pandemic, the NCOC has also taken another step by sending mobile vaccination teams to visit schools and colleges for vaccination.

    Meanwhile, NCOC has said that all those people whose second dose against Covid-19 has become due are not required to wait for the sms message and can visit any vaccination centre throughout the week.

    A day earlier, NCOC head Asad Umar had announced on Twitter that more than 20 million people in Pakistan are now fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

    Pakistan has administered at least 66,456,245 doses of Covid vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs two doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 15.3 per cent of the country’s population.

  • PM Khan briefs nation on three years of Naya Pakistan

    PM Khan briefs nation on three years of Naya Pakistan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday presented a charter of his party’s performance so far at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad.

    Talking about his career as a cricketer, PM Khan explained how his life as a sportsman, “where there are standing ovations one moment and curses the next”, prepared him for a life of struggles.

    “Until you go through struggles, you cannot do anything big,” the prime minister said. “No leader became big with a shortcut. Quaid-e-Azam was a big leader. He struggled in his life and people will always remember him [for that].”

    Mentioning Pakistan’s clash with India in the aftermath of the Pulwama incident, PM Khan thanked the army for effortlessly protecting the people of Pakistan.

    “I appreciate our army and air force. As they (Indian fighter jets) came into our territory and launched an offensive, we realised the [power] of our army,” said the premier.

    The premier blamed a “mafia” for defaming state institutions. “I also criticised the army in the past,” he said. “Judiciary and army also make mistakes but it doesn’t mean we should [expect] them to topple the democratic government.”

    “We know the Indian lobby is trying hard to defame Pakistan Army. They are implying that the Taliban won because of Pakistan Army.”

    “The NCOC (National Command and Operation Center) team comprising Asad Umar and Dr Faisal [Sultan] took great decisions and we survived the worst of Covid.”

    “In our tenure, Punjab’s anti-corruption has recovered Rs450bn so far,” he claimed. “NAB (National Accountability Bureau), in its 18 years before we came to power, had recovered Rs290bn and in the last three years, they recovered Rs519bn. All hue and cry are because of this reason.”

    The premier reminded his audience of the efforts made to “empower women” in rural areas and stressed the need to educate women, adding that “this is what we are trying to do”.

    “We are also working on inheritance laws to ensure women get their due share in the property,” he added.

  • No public transport after Oct 15 unless fully vaccinated: Asad Umar

    Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar has said those who have not been fully vaccinated will not be allowed to use public transport from October 15.

    Asad Umar while addressing a press conference with Dr Faisal Sultan said that that all passengers, domestic and international, travelling by air must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by September 30.

    Asad Umar further said that school teachers and staff will not be allowed to work after October 15 if they are not fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, students aged 17 and above were also given a deadline to get at least one dose of the vaccine by September 15 and the second dose before October 15.

    Full vaccination has been also made compulsory to use public transport after October 15.

    He also added that only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to attend marriage ceremonies, go to shopping malls and hotels after September 30.

    As per the National National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan recorded 4,075 cases of Covid-19 in the country.

  • NCOC launches app to verify Covid-19 certificates

    NCOC launches app to verify Covid-19 certificates

    The National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC), in collaboration with National Database And Registration Authority (NADRA), has introduced a digital app to verify vaccination certificates allotted to the people after their vaccination.

    The move came after news of fake certificates were reported in the media.

    Citizens can now verify the authenticity of their vaccination certificates using the “Vaccination Pass App”, a digital wallet for the Covid-19 vaccination certificate, according to the NCOC.

    The application will facilitate the people to have their digital Covid-19 vaccination certificate.

    The app allows the users to download the Covid vaccination certificate issued through Nadra and save it on their phone.

    The digital certificate can be verified instantaneously via a QR-Code.

    The digital certificate is official proof of Covid-19 vaccination, which is required for domestic and international travelling.

    The NCOC earlier this week announced that complete Covid-19 vaccination certificates would become compulsory for air travel after September 10.

  • Pakistan hits one million Covid-19 vaccination doses per day: Asad Umar

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar announced on Tuesday that Pakistan had hit the target of administering one million Covid-19 vaccination doses in a day.

    The minister took to Twitter and said, “Happy to report that the target we had set for 1 million vaccinations in a day was crossed yesterday with 10 lakh 72 thousand vaccinations.”

    “All federating entities contributed with Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Islamabad all doing record numbers. Amazing performance by all involved,” tweeted Umar.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan also confirmed the milestone and congratulated “all who have made this happen”.

    According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a total of 31,929,581 doses of Covid vaccines had been administered across Pakistan as of Monday, with 1,072,342 doses administered on August 2.

  • Covid vaccination certificate necessary for domestic air travel from August 1

    Covid vaccination certificate necessary for domestic air travel from August 1

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has announced to make the Covid vaccination certificate compulsory for travelling through domestic flights from August 1.

    NCOC has urged the citizens to get vaccinated by July 31 to avoid any inconvenience. “The citizens should get a Covid vaccine certificate after the vaccination process,” it wrote in a Tweet.

    As per reports, those who would not need the COVID vaccination certificate, according to the NCOC, included travelers boarding abroad flights, foreign nationals, and those avoiding vaccination owing to a reaction in the body.

    Read More: How to get your Covid-19 vaccination certificate

    Furthermore, those having a COVID vaccination certificate from abroad would also be exempted from carrying a Covid vaccination certificate from NADRA.

    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has also directed its staff to get themselves vaccinated against the virus by July 31.

    Circulation was also issued by Director General Civil Aviation Authority (DGCCA).

     “All staff must get vaccinated by July 31 otherwise they will not be allowed to enter into the premises of office/ airport from August 1,” read the notification.

  • Sindh govt to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people

    Sindh govt to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people

    The Sindh government has officially decided to write a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in the province.

    Adviser to Chief Minister Sindh on Law, Murtaza Wahab, took to Twitter to announce the decision.

    “#SindhGovt has decided to write to NCOC & PTA that mobile sims of unvaccinated people should be blocked,” he wrote in a tweet.

    According to details, Chief Minister Sindh has also said that the PTA would be contacted through the federal government to encourage the users via text messages to get vaccinated and those not getting a shot in a week will have their SIMs blocked.

    As cases are increasing in the province, the Sindh government has decided to tighten the restrictions. The Covid-19 task force held a meeting on Friday and made the following decisions:

    • Shopping malls and markets can operate from 6am to 6pm except for pharmacies and bakeries.
    • The government has imposed a ban on indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants. Only takeaways are allowed.
    • Public and private offices have been asked to call in 50 per cent of their workforce.
    • Shrines to be closed once again.
    • Ban to be imposed on weddings and other events.
    • Schools will remain closed, while exams will continue as per schedule.

    The new restrictions will be imposed from Monday, July 26. The positivity rate in Sindh is 10.3 per cent, the task force participants were informed. Karachi’s situation is getting worse day by day. At least 1,002 patients are in critical care.

    As per reports, the province reported six cases of the Delta variant on Monday, the province’s health secretary, Qasim Soomro, confirmed.

    The guidelines to avoid exposure to the new variant are the same:

    • Sanitise hands more often
    • Wear a mask
    • Avoid public gatherings
    • Get vaccinated as soon as possible
    • Avoid meeting people with symptoms
    • Avoid unnecessary travel

    Total tests conducted in the last 24 hours were 25,215 out of which 1,425 cases tested positive. The positivity rate was 5.65 per cent as per NCOC.

  • NCOC Eid ul Azha guidelines: Sacrifice is not allowed at home

    The National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) has announced numerous guidelines for Eid ul Azha, which will be celebrated tomorrow, Wednesday, in Pakistan. The NCOC has recommended that no Qurbani should be allowed at home/residential areas, reported Samaa.

    The government has requested the public to follow all the precautionary measures as the country is heading towards the fourth wave of coronavirus.

    The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regarding Qurbani include:

    Provinces to initiate awareness campaigns to educate people on the spread of the virus during meat distribution.

    Religious leaders told to encourage collective Qurbani.

    The skin of sacrificed animals will not be given to banned organisations.

    Minimum persons to be allowed at the Qurbani site.

    Last week, Special Assistant to the PM on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan stated that it is mandatory to wear masks and maintain distance from the crowds even for unvaccinated individuals.

    Following the outbreak of the Delta variant in Karachi, more restrictions have been imposed in various parts of the country. The positivity rate on July 20 remains at 5.25 percent.

  • Asad Umar says unvaccinated people are seven times more likely to get Covid

    Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Friday said unvaccinated people were seven times more likely to contract the coronavirus than those inoculated.

    After the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting, the minister said vaccination was the only way solution to the virus.

    Umar later took to Twitter and said, “The data analytics run by the NCOC team shows that comparative data of Pakistani’s who have been vaccinated versus those who are not vaccinated shows a marked difference in risk. The unvaccinated Pakistani’s are at 7 times higher risk of getting covid. Please get vaccinated.”

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan said every day around 2,500 new cases were being reported, warning that the Delta variant was spreading fast.