According to a health department official, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has reported 12 new cases of Covid-19, signaling an increase in infections. The province has seen thousands of deaths due to the illness since it first emerged, with a total of 6,376 individuals having succumbed to the disease. Peshawar continues to lead the list of fatalities, accounting for around 50% of all deaths, while 225,231 cases of Covid-19 have been officially recorded.
The official went on to say that 9 people had recovered from Covid-19 in K-P in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of recovered individuals to 218,781. However, 3,153 people in Peshawar have lost their lives due to the coronavirus. The official also confirmed that two new cases had been recorded in Peshawar, taking the district’s total number of patients to 85,481.
In the last 24 hours, 109 Corona tests were carried out in K-P, the official claimed, while there are already 166 active cases in the province. Despite efforts by the federal government to launch a widespread vaccination campaign with the aid of international donors, rural Peshawar remains one of the areas where substantial vaccine resistance has been observed.
In February 2022, the then-K-P Chief Secretary Dr. Shehzad Khan Bangash expressed displeasure at the province’s slow Covid-19 vaccination rate and ordered deputy commissioners to speed up efforts to meet the vaccination goals set by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and the provincial administration.
At a high-level meeting convened via video link to discuss vaccination and the spread of the Omicron variant, the chief secretary emphasized that every available resource should be utilized to ensure the ongoing door-to-door vaccination campaign is a success. He stressed that the immunization effort’s success must not be compromised and that only when the entire community is immunized can the epidemic be eradicated.
The health secretary stated that efforts are being made to meet the immunization goals set forth and that the K-P Health Department is working closely with all the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners in this regard. The meeting was attended by various officials, including the secretaries of health, home, transport, elementary and secondary education, higher education, all divisional commissioners, the focal person for the NCOC, the coordinator for the EOC, and the director of general health.
In conclusion, K-P has reported an increase in Covid-19 cases, with Peshawar remaining the district with the highest number of fatalities. Efforts are being made to increase vaccination rates in the province, with the government urging all available resources to be utilized to ensure the vaccination campaign’s success. The health department is working closely with all the relevant authorities to meet the immunization goals set forth and eradicate the epidemic once and for all.
