RIYADH/ISLAMABAD: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday wished a speedy recovery to Prime Minister Imran Khan who is suffering from coronavirus.
In their messages, the two leaders wished the prime minister “permanent health and wellness, and a speedy recovery,” Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Late Saturday night, Minister of State for Health Dr Faisal Sultan said Khan was in “good health” and was self-isolating.
“We are monitoring parameters of his health, and at present, he did not need a direct intervention,” he said in a video message.
وزیر اعظم کے معاون خصوصی برائے صحت ڈاکٹر فیصل سلطان کی میڈیا بریفنگ
وزیر اعظم عمران خان کی کورونا کی علامات معمولی نوعیت کی ہیں اور وہ ہشاش بشاش ہیں۔
ویکسین کی افادیت دوسرا ٹیکا لگنے کے دو سے تین ہفتوں کے بعد ظاہر ہوتی ہے۔@fslsltn @GovtofPakistan pic.twitter.com/6MFnDLmmgR
— Ministry of National Health Services, Pakistan (@nhsrcofficial) March 20, 2021
After him, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Senator Faisal Javed Khan said he has met the prime minister, who is “fit and doing well”.
“The best advice that we could give him was to stay at home, isolate, and rest,” he said, observing the prime minister experienced only “mild symptoms”.
In a tweet sent Sunday night, the prime minister thanked “everyone in Pakistan [and] abroad for their good wishes and prayers” for his and the first lady’s – Bushra Bibi – recovery from the disease.
I want to thank everyone in Pakistan & abroad for their good wishes and prayers for the quick recovery of the first lady and I from Covid 19.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 21, 2021
His tweet came in response to get well messages from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and foreign missions in Islamabad.
Responding to the tweets, Khan’s adviser on political communication Shahbaz Gill said: “The prime minister and Bushra Bibi are thankful to you all for your good wishes”.
The prime minister and his spouse had tested positive for the contagious disease on Saturday, two days after the former received his first vaccine dose.
When news of him testing positive for the contagious disease came out, the rumour mills went abuzz with speculation that the prime minister contracted the disease after vaccination.
But health experts said it is likely Khan was infected prior to being vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), national health agency of the United States, says the vaccine does not infect patients with the disease, but those who may have contracted the virus before they are vaccinated can become ill after a shot because it takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity.
However, the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), soon after the news broke out, clarified that Khan had not been “fully vaccinated” when he was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Imran Khan was not fully vaccinated when he contracted the virus. He only got the 1st dose and merely 2 days ago which is too soon for ANY vaccine to become effective. Anti-bodies develop 2-3 weeks after 2nd dose of 2-dose COVID vaccines. #VaccinesWork
— Ministry of National Health Services, Pakistan (@nhsrcofficial) March 20, 2021
It said that the prime minister had only received the first dose of the vaccine and that too merely two days ago, further explaining that the time frame was too soon for any vaccine to become effective. Antibodies develop 2-3 weeks after the second dose of 2-dose Covid vaccines.
