The Federal Government has decided to shut down the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the apex body which effectively managed Pakistan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to details, the NCOC will become dysfunctional on 31 March 2022. From 1 April 2022, the Islamabad-based National Institute of Health (NIH) will be responsible for overseeing the country’s Coronavirus response.
The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) of NIH will now manage the COVID-19 response of Pakistan from next month. The CDC is not operational currently and the record from the NCOC is being transferred to it.
In April 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan had formed the NCOC as the principal body governing the policies and implementation of the national COVID-19 response. Federal Planning Minister, Asad Umar, has been leading the NCOC since its inception.
Thanks to NCOC, Pakistan always ranked among the top countries with the most effective response to Coronavirus. Many global organizations including the IMF and Lowy Institute recognized Pakistan among the countries with the best COVID-19 response.
NCOC wasn’t just about containing the Coronavirus, the body also managed the country’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy. Since launching the national vaccination drive in February 2021, more than 100 million of the country’s total vaccine-eligible population has been immunized against the Coronavirus.
