ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Wednesday said the coronavirus vaccine would be available in the country in first quarter of the next year and it would be provided to health workers and old citizens on priority basis.

He said the numbers of COVID-19 patients were increasing day by day, as the second wave of the pandemic was more lethal as compared to the first one.

“Everyone should adopt caring measures to control the contagion from spreading at large scale in the country,” he said talking to a local news channel.

The minister urged opposition parties to take the virus as a serious threat and avoid holding public gatherings.

Asad Umar said the opposition parties were intentionally playing with lives of people and pushing them into danger by holding public gatherings.