Pakistani PM Imran Khan contracts Covid-19 days after taking Chinese vaccine

On Saturday, it was reported that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has contracted the COVID19 virus. In a tweet by Khan’s Special Assistant on National Health Services it was verified that, “PM Imran Khan has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self isolating at home.”

This comes after Imran Khan was administered a Chinese made vaccine two days prior as part of the first steps of a national anti-coronavirus vaccination programme. The vaccine received by Khan is currently only available in Pakistan, and it takes two efficient doses to become effective.After receiving a negative response from frontline health workers who raised reservations about Chinese vaccines, Pakistan started vaccinations for the general public on March 10, beginning with the elderly.

News agency Reuters reported that the Pakistani Prime minister has been heading frequent meetings recently, also attending a crowded security conference in Islamabad without wearing a mask. On Friday, he also inaugurated a housing project for poor sections of the society and was found not following any health safety protocols.

Later in the afternoon, the Prime Minister Office of Pakistan confirmed the news in a tweet which read, “Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self isolating at home,” adding a quote from the Holy Quran “And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me.”

Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services released a statement, "He (Imran Khan) only got the first dose and merely two days ago, which is too soon for any vaccine to become effective. Antibodies develop two-three weeks after the second dose of two-dose Covid vaccines."

This was followed by Shahbaz Gill, Special Assistant to the PM on political communication giving updates on the Prime Minister’s health in a tweet, "Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for COVID-19. He is in quarantine at his residence. Thank God their symptoms are not severe. Very mild cough and mild fever. May Allah heal them soon. Amen. Inshallah you will keep up to date with their health."