PM, wife contract Covid as positivity rate tops 9pc

• Modi sends best wishes to Imran
• Ministers dispel impression vaccine caused infection
• No vaccinations on Sundays, national holidays
• Pakistan Day parade to go-ahead
ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan’s national positivity ratio surpassed nine per cent, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday became the latest head of government in the world to contract Covid-19.
His wife Bushra Bibi also tested positive for the virus.
It was decided that the staff of Prime Minister Office and contacts of the premier would be tested under the contact-tracing policy.
During the last 24 hours, the country saw the highest number of positive cases since July with 3,876 people getting infected. Social media was abuzz throughout the day with the news of the prime minister testing positive for the novel coronavirus, triggering a debate on the effectiveness of the vaccine which he had
received two days ago.
Mr Khan’s diagnosis was confirmed by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan in a tweet.
“PM Imran Khan has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating at home,” he tweeted. Later, it was revealed that Bus­hra Bibi, the prime minister’s spo­use, had also contracted the virus.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari tweeted, “Wishing our First Lady & PM @ImranKhanPTI a speedy recovery. May Allah give them both shifa.”
Senator Faisal Javed confirmed that the first couple had been infected.
On the international front, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, interestingly, became the first leader to wish Mr. Khan.
The news stirred a debate on social media and within a couple of minutes, #ImranKhan became the top trend.
PPP Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi, in a video statement, said the timing of the prime minister’s vaccination and the vaccine’s efficacy had raised questions.
He urged the government to share details of the vaccine’s effectiveness.
On the other hand, Ministry of National Health Services spokesperson Sajid Shah said Dr Faisal Sultan had a meeting with Prime Minister Khan and would share details soon.
Cabinet members also came forward on social media to clarify that Mr Khan had not been infected by the vaccine.
“May Allah protect him and give him shifa. Some people questioning the efficacy of vaccination since he was vaccinated Thursday evening. The symptoms take a few days before manifesting. Hence it is certain that PM had been infected PRIOR to vaccination. So please do vaccinate,” Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar tweeted.
Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar further clarified in his tweet that “the vaccine develops more than 80% immunity two weeks after the second injection. Furthermore, No cabinet minister, including the Prime-Minister, nor any of their relatives jumped the queue or violated the priority order to receive the vaccine.”
PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill also urged people in his tweet not to link PM Khan’s positive test with the vaccine.
Lots of prayers for everyone and PM Imran Khan. May ALLAH helps him recover soon,” Senator Faisal Javed tweeted.
Talking to Dawn, a Member of the federal government’s Scientific Task Force on Covid-19 Dr Javed Akram said it was not uncommon for people to get infected just after vaccination.
“However it has nothing to do with the vaccine. I believe the premier was already infected but did not show symptoms as the incubation period of the virus is seven to 10 days. It will be next to impossible to test and trace from whom PM Khan contracted the virus as the positivity rate has reached around 10pc in Pakistan and over 3,000 people are getting infected daily,” he said.
Dr Akram, who is also the vice-chancellor of the University of Health Sciences (UHS), said there was another misconception that people developed protection from the virus soon after getting the vaccine.
“The fact is that antibodies start developing five to seven days after getting the first shot of the vaccine. After two weeks, antibodies reach the protective level but it takes 28 days to reach the optimum level. Despite that, it cannot be said that a person has become fully protected from the virus as no vaccine has 100pc efficacy. Around 80pc efficacy rate means that a person, despite vaccination, can be infected with the virus but he/she will develop minor symptoms and there will be fewer chances of death,” he added.
When asked whether a person can be infected by the vaccine, he said at present, three types of vaccines were being used globally but not a single one could infect a person.
Replying to a question, he said the second jab was given three weeks after the first shot, but this would not be the case with the prime minister now.
“Mr Khan will have to wait for 12 days or until his result is found negative. Then he will have to wait for another six weeks and get a second shot,” he said.
Dr Akram said a comprehensive mechanism of contact tracing was already in place and all contacts of the prime minister would be tested as per policy. Source:dawn.com