ISLAMA BATH – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.
Mr. Khan is isolating himself at home and is expected to remain in solitary confinement for at least ten days, officials said. “The prime minister has mild cough and fever,” said Dr. Faisal Sultan, the country’s de facto health minister, said. “A team of doctors is treating him.”
The prime minister received his first vaccine dose on Thursday, and officials said it was infected before the vaccination. Ministers of the government and other officials who have met with Mr. Khan had contact, is now also being tested for the virus. Vaccine protection usually takes time to kick in, and two doses of most vaccines are needed for maximum protection.
Mr. Khan, 68, a former cricketer, is widely regarded as very healthy. According to critics, he was quite comfortable wearing a mask. During an inauguration of government projects on Friday, Mr. Khan is seen without a mask in photos while meeting officials.
Pakistan is facing a third wave of the pandemic, with an increase in its positive percentage over the past few weeks. “This is very worrying,” said Dr. Sultan said, noting that the rate had risen to 9.5 percent.
“The pressure is mounting in the federal capital, Peshawar, Karachi, and the major urban centers of Punjab,” he told a news conference.
According to the New York Times database, the pandemic has infected more than 623,000 people in Pakistan, and more than 14,000 have died.
Officials have urged the public to adhere to safety protocols and warn that failure to do so could result in stricter restrictions. The increasing number of cases has forced the authorities to impose restrictions on food stores and social gatherings.
Pakistan began vaccinating citizens over 60 with the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine this month.