Govt decides to make NCOC operational as COVID cases surge

The government decides to make National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) fully operational as COVID cases surge across the country.

The decision was taken on Wednesday in a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as Pakistan’s daily COVID-19 case count crossed the 500-mark for the first time in three months.

The NCOC functioning was dissolved at the end of March after running operations for two years and leading Pakistan’s response to COVID-19, while its roles were handed over to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appealed to the public to strictly follow the instructions and standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to the corona.

Later in the day, PM in a tweet said “In view of the resurgence of corona cases in the country, I urge the entire nation to follow the instructions and SOPs related to corona.”

PM Shehbaz Sharif further said, “Our frontline workers and doctors have made many sacrifices to keep us safe. We must not waste these gains against corona.”

Pakistan reported more than 500 COVID cases for the first time in three months on Wednesday.

According to National Institute of Health (NIH) data, the country reported 541 new COVID-19 infections overnight.

Pakistan’s positivity ratio swelled to 3.5% in a single day with the fresh reported cases.