ISLAMABAD (Khyber News) : PM Imran Khan on Tuesday spoke to Bill Gates to discuss the latest situation on Covid-19 response and resumption of polio vaccination campaigns in Pakistan.
PM Imran Khan apprised Mr Gates of the improved Covid-19 situation in Pakistan with considerable reduction in new cases and the fatality rate.
Imran Khan said the “smart lockdown” policy of the government had been very effective. The timely and prudent interventions enabled the government to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 and the economy had successfully averted a larger catastrophe, he said, acknowledging the Gates Foundation’s continued support for Pakistan. Imran Khan reaffirmed polio eradication as a key priority of his government.
They were encouraged to see that polio vaccination campaigns had been able to restart with appropriate Covid-19 precautions. They agreed to enhance the programme to ensure vaccination of all children, including those in the remote areas.
Imran Khan expressed confidence in Pakistan’s ability to apply lessons from its Covid-19 response to eradicate polio.
Gates acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts to combat the pandemic while protecting the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable populations.
