Authorities in Pakistan have decided to open vaccination for people above the age of 40, reported The Daily Times newspaper. The move came at a time when the country saw a surge in the COVID-19 cases. 

The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) - the national body that leads the country’s pandemic response - held a review meeting on Monday where the decision was taken to allow vaccination for people above 40. 

“NCOC meeting decided to open up registration of 40 plus age citizens starting Tuesday. Also, a decision was taken to allow walk-in vaccination of all registered citizens of the 50 plus age group,” Asad Omar, the head of the NCOC and the federal minister for planning, was quoted as saying by the Daily Times. 

Omar urged the people to register themselves for vaccines. The country has over 90,000 actives cases of the COVID-19 presently. Over the last weeks, authorities have announced fresh restrictions amid a rising number of cases.  

The government has ordered the deployment of armed forces for enforcing strict COVID-19 health guidelines in public places.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a northwestern province, reported most deaths on Monday, followed by Punjab. ICUs beds and ventilators are also nearing their full capacity in major cities across the country.