Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for devising a viable framework for equitable and affordable supply of coronavirus vaccine to developing countries.
The coronavirus causes the Covid-19 respiratory disease.
He was addressing virtually the 4th Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Financing for Development yesterday.
The prime minister said coverage of the Covax facility must be expanded enabling the developing countries to spend their precious resources on socio-economic development needs.
Suggesting a five-point framework to fight the pandemic and help economies recover, he said debt re-payments for the most stressed countries should be suspended until the end of the pandemic.
Khan said that public-sector debt under an agreed and inclusive multilateral framework should be restructured, and concessional financing through multilateral development banks should be expanded.
He called for general allocation of Special Drawing Rights of $500bn to help alleviate balance-of-payment pressures.
Khan also stressed on the world community to take measures for the return of stolen assets held by corrupt politicians and criminals.
He said the developed countries should meet the agreed target of mobilising $100bn annually for climate action in developing countries.
Commenting on Pakistan’s measures to combat Covid-19, the prime minister said that the country’s efforts have been aimed at ensuring that people are saved from dying from the virus, and at the same time preventing them from dying from hunger.
He said that Pakistan’s strategy has fortunately worked well so far, but continuous efforts are needed to fully overcome the second wave of the virus.
In the past 24 hours Pakistan reported 23 deaths attributed to Covid-19, the lowest number of fatalities recorded since the second wave of the coronavirus in the country.
The last time the country reported 23 deaths was on November 10.
The country’s death toll is now 11,318.
There are currently 33,820 active Covid-19 cases in the country, 148 of which are critical cases.
In the past 24 hours, the country reported 2,414 recoveries, taking the total number to 488,903.
In a bid to contain imported coronavirus cases, all travellers landing in airports across the country are being tested upon arrival – and those who test positive are being quarantined.
These measures taken by the authorities were discussed during a meeting of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), attended by the federal and provincial government representatives yesterday.
According to a statement issued by the body, the forum reviewed the overall Covid-19 situation in the country.
The NCOC was informed about testing travellers, particularly those who come from the United Kingdom and South Africa, upon arrival.
The statement said that the government would keep a record of vaccinated persons, adding that “even those who travelled from abroad would have to provide a legal document confirming that they had been vaccinated”.
The NCOC said that provinces have almost completed the training of medical staff for the coronavirus immunisation drive to be held in the country.
“[The] provinces have almost completed the training of the staff of teaching hospitals, tehsil and district hospitals regarding Covid-19 vaccination for swift inoculation of the vaccine,” read the press release.
The meeting discussed details of the complete procedure for vaccination, its time of availability, distribution process, and most demanding areas where it can be used at the earliest.
The meeting, chaired by national co-ordinator Lieutenant-General Hamood Uz Zaman Khan, discussed updates from the provinces on positivity and critical data, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs or alternate measures to treat Covid other than medical treatment) and implementation, preparations for vaccine inoculation, and the national vaccine strategy.
The provincial chief and health secretaries said all regions have taken necessary measures prior to the availability of coronavirus vaccines.
“The chief secretaries also informed the forum about the steps being taken to ensure standard operating procedures (SOPs) and NPI implementation.”
The NCOC was told that a large number of fines had been imposed on SOP violators, while restaurants, shops and business centres had also been closed for not complying with the SOPs.
Prime Minister Khan has suggested a five-point framework to fight the coronavirus pandemic and help economies recovery.
