Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and first lady Bushra Bibi have tested positive for coronavirus and will be self-isolating, officials confirmed.
Khan had been administered the first dose of Sinopharm VID-19 vaccine just a couple of days ago
Special Assistant on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan said on Saturday, the prime minister will self-isolate at home.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Health Services clarified that the premier was not “fully vaccinated” when he contracted the virus.
“He only got the first dose merely two days ago which is too soon for ANY vaccine to become effective. Antibodies develop 2-3 weeks after the second dose of 2-dose Covid vaccines,” a Twitter message said.
“We are monitoring his health and clinical parameters,” Dr. Sultan said. The doctor said that currently, the prime minister was not in need of treatment or medical intervention.
Dr. Faisal Sultan said that it was important to understand how vaccines worked. “No vaccine works immediately after being administered. Antibodies can take at least two to three weeks to develop.”
He said that for two-dose vaccines, such as the one from Sinopharm, antibodies could take two to three weeks to develop after the second dose.
“Therefore, it is obvious that the premier’s immunity had not developed when he was vaccinated. It is possible that he was exposed [to the virus] before and it was already present in his body,” the PM’s aide said, adding that it was important to clarify these questions.
According to Dr. Sultan those the prime minister had been in contact with would be tested and urged them to isolate themselves for the time being.
He concluded by urging citizens to follow precautionary measures to stem the spread of the disease. “We are seeing a huge number of cases and the country’s positivity rate is 9.5pc.
In Pakistan, the positivity rate of coronavirus infections has doubled in the past week. In some cities, it has crossed as much 10 percent, the doctor explained.
Khan, who is 68, has been holding regular and frequent meetings lately, including attending a security conference held in Islamabad that was attended by a large number of people.
According to media reports, he addressed the conference without wearing a mask, and attended another gathering to inaugurate a housing project for poor people in a similar fashion on Thursday.
