Don't be lazy, get your booster to prevent Omicron: Dr Faisal Sultan

• Dr Faisal Sultan says extra dose required despite 100% vaccination for protection against COVID-19.
• Says those who haven't got vaccinated yet still have a chance to do so.
• Requests people to get vaccinated if vaccination teams reach their door.

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan wants the public to stop being lazy and get a booster shot if they haven't already, as Pakistan continues its battle against the Omicron-driven fifth COVID-19 wave.

He urged people to get their COVID-19 booster shots if six months had passed since they got their second vaccination dose.

"Scientific data has shown that people need an additional dose of the vaccine despite being fully vaccinated for protection against COVID-19 if six months and over have passed," Dr Sultan said, while addressing a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) in Islamabad.

He said that earlier, the NCOC was only asking people to get the booster dose, but now it is recommending it again based on scientific evidence.

The SAPM said that the additional dose is being administered for free so people should benefit from it as much as possible.

"The biggest advantage of getting a booster shot will be that we can stay safe from the Omicron variant," Dr Sultan said, adding that the only way to get rid of the restrictions that people are facing for the last two years is vaccination against COVID-19.

Earlier, Dr Sultan urged people who haven't been vaccinated at all, due to any reason, to make sure that they get inoculated.

"Anyone who hasn't gotten vaccinated yet due to their inattention or laziness, they still have a chance to get vaccinated now," he said.

"These vaccines are protecting against the spread of this disease, hazards and side effects of the disease, hospitalisation and other complications."

The SAPM requested the public not to turn away vaccination teams if they reach their doorstep.

What is the current situation of coronavirus in Pakistan?

Pakistan reported a COVID-19 positivity ratio below 10% for the first time since January 19, the National Command and Operation Centre's (NCOC) data showed Tuesday morning. However, the country's active case count remained above 100,000 for the fourth consecutive day.

As per the statistics issued by the NCOC, the country's daily case count, too, witnessed a dip in the last 24 hours as only 5,327 out of 55,202 diagnostic tests conducted countrywide came back positive. With this decline, Pakistan's COVID-19 positivity rate dropped to 9.65%.

On January 19, the positivity rate stood at 9.48%.

Read our daily COVID-19 report here.