ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated the National Command and Operation Centre, Ehsaas Team and State Bank of Pakistan for effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a tweet on Wednesday, he also thanked God Almighty for His mercy during difficult times.

The Prime Minister also shared Economist Magazine's normalcy index which declares Pakistan amongst the best performing countries for handling Covid-19. With a score of 84.4, Pakistan ranks third amongst fifty countries tracked by the Economist Magazine for return to pre pandemic life.

Neighbouring India has a score of 46.5, ranking it near the bottom in 48th position.

However, as the threat of Covid-19 continues, the NCOC continues warning masses to ensure implementation of SOPs on the basis of confirmed reports of a “definitive uptick" in Covid cases, percentage positivity, since last week.

According to the daily update of the pandemic issued by the NCOC, the single-day tally of new infections remained above 1,000, mainly fuelled by its rapid spread in Sindh.

However, the death toll from the infectious disease during the past 24 hours was the lowest since February. The NCOC – the nerve centre of the government’s synchronised strategy to contain the global pandemic – in a meeting chaired by Planning Minister Asad Umar the other day, expressed its grave concern over the flouting of the SOPs, which was the cause of the spread of the pandemic.