ISLAMABAD, Mar 20:
Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were tested positive today for the COVID-19, his top aides announced, two days after the Pakistani premier got the first shot of a vaccine.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Faisal Sultan took to Twitter to confirm that Khan, 68, has contracted the Coronavirus on a day when the country registered the highest number of COVID-19 cases since July last year.
Later, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis, Syed Zulfi Bukhari in a tweet confirmed that the First Lady was also corona positive. “Wishing our First Lady & PM @ImranKhanPTI a speedy recovery,” he tweeted.
Senator Faisal Javed, who is considered very close to Khan, also expressed similar sentiments in a tweet.
“First Lady Bushra Bibi has also been tested positive for Covid-19. Lots of prayers for all who have been tested positive including PM Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi!!!” he said.
Khan was vaccinated on Thursday as part of the nationwide anti-coronavirus vaccination campaign which is underway in its first phase.
Khan is reported to have received the first shot of the Chinese-produced Sinopharm vaccine, the only anti-COVID jab available in Pakistan.
“PM Imran Khan has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self isolating at home,” Sultan said in a tweet.
Khan’s spokesman Dr Shehbaz Gill said that the prime minister has just a slight fever and cough.
The report of Khan contracting the coronavirus came on a day the country reported 3,876 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest number since July last year. On July 2 last year, 4,432 cases were reported.
Pakistan started its COVID-19 vaccination drive in February after the first arrival of China-gifted vaccine doses, with frontline health workers given the priority for inoculation, while on March 10, the country started vaccination for the general public, starting with people aged 60 and above, Geo News reported.
Issuing a clarification on Khan’s vaccination, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said that antibodies develop two to three weeks after the 2nd dose of the 2-dose COVID-19 vaccines.
“Prime Minister Imran Khan was not fully vaccinated when he contracted the virus. He only got the 1st dose and merely 2 days ago which is too soon for ANY vaccine to become effective. Anti-bodies develop 2-3 weeks after the 2nd dose of COVID vaccines,” it said on Twitter. (PTI)
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