Pakistan’s COVID-19 response unit ends operation

Islamabad: In the backdrop of significant achievement against COVID-19 (positivity has stayed below 1 per cent for last ten days) the National Command and Operation Centre ended its operations on Thursday, two years after it was set up. All its functions, roles and responsibilities were officially handed over to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

The NCOC was established on March 27, 2020 to keep the nation updated on the COVID-19 related statistics.

It held daily meetings, which were attended by Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and National Coordinator Major General Muhammad Zafar Iqbal.

It had representation in all the provinces and administrative units.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet on Thursday, congratulated the NCOC team and its leadership for a professional, nationally-coordinated response to the pandemic.

“As a result our Covid response was recognized by int agencies & people in the field as one of the most successful globally,” said the PM in his post on social media.

Umar who headed the NCOC also announced on social media that Thursday was the last day of NCOC operation.

“With COVID indicators at all time lows & high level of vaccination, baton now being passed on to health ministry,” he tweeted.

“Chairing NCOC during the last two years & working with the most dedicated team has been the greatest privilege and honour of my life,” he said.

The minister said COVID-19 was an unprecedented challenge that was overcome “with Allah’s mercy & support of the entire nation.”

A United Nation’s (UN) report released earlier this week has also placed Pakistan among the countries that have done fairly well in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The analytical report, prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), noted that on March 23, 2022, the cost of vaccinating 40 per cent of the population in Pakistan was 13.95 per cent of the country’s current health expenditure.

The UNDP placed this in the green zone of affordability, meaning that the country’s health system can deal with this extra burden. Pakistan’s COVID-19 risk index was 5.3, which was classified as high.

Pakistan on Thursday reported six deaths and 244 cases of COVID-19 after 29,625 tests conducted in last 24 hours.