Pakistan opens up COVID-19 vaccinations for people 19 and over

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan on Thursday opened up registrations for coronavirus vaccinations to its citizens age 19 and over, an official said.

"In NCOC [National Command and Operation Centre] meeting we decided to open up vaccination registration for all 19 years and above," Asad Umar, a federal minister leading Pakistan's COVID-19 response, tweeted.

He added that now registration will be open for the entire national population which is approved by health experts for COVID-19 vaccination.

The country launched its vaccination drive in February, initially for healthcare workers and those over age 65.

The South Asian country of over 220 million has so far vaccinated over 6.42 million people since Feb. 2, according to NCOC data.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has reported 2,726 new cases of coronavirus during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 911,302, according to the latest Health Ministry latest report.

With 75 more COVID-19 fatalities, the total death toll rose to 20,540.

The South Asian country currently has 59,018 active cases while 831,744 have recovered from the infection.