China helped Pakistan nearly defeat Covid: Health Minister

Islamabad: Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel – who has also been appointed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) fighting Covid – has acknowledged China’s support to Pakistan to nearly defeat the pandemic.

The minister said without China this was unimaginable. “Where we stand today is largely due to China. They supported us with everything. With the vaccines, with technical support and whatever we needed. China is indeed a real friend,” he remarked.

Patel also lauded China’s own fight and victory against Covid-19. “In fact China is an example for all. They defeated the pandemic like a matter of life and death. They showed us the way and also helped us. We have China (at our back) when we started the battle against Covid but China single-handedly knocked out the pandemic,” he observed.

The minister maintained that Chinese vaccines had been the most popular in Pakistan and the Pakistani government was in regular contact with the Chinese counterparts to wipe out Covid once for all.

Patel mentioned that Pakistan-China brotherhood was beyond Covid or the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “We are twin brothers who were at each other’s side in the past and will remain with each other in the future. Our friendship is forever,” he contended.

This week, Patel was appointed new head of NCOC after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reconstituted the body. The NCOC had ceased to function on March 31 this year and all its functions and responsibilities were officially handed over to National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.

The Command and Operation Centre was set up in March 2020 in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic to collect, analyse and process information in Pakistan’s struggle against the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a notification, Abdul Qadir Patel will be new NCOC head, an umbrella body that led Pakistan’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19).

All government departments will continue providing assistance to NCOC operations while the forum will coordinate with all four provincial health departments on Covid-19 situation, the notification stated.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on May 10 had directed restoration of the NCOC. The step was taken after the recent emergence of new sub-variant of Omicron strain of coronavirus in the country.

The NIH recently reported the country’s first case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1. “NIH has detected the first case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1. This new sub-variant is causing increasing number of cases in different countries,” the health body had said in a Tweet.