PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif tests positive for COVID-19

PML-N leader Ataullah Tarar confirmed on Thursday that Shehbaz, 68, has been infected with the virus. He claimed that Shehbaz contracted the virus as he had to appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on June 9 in a money laundering case.

PTI

June 11, 2020 / 13:14 IST

Shehbaz Sharif, chief of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the latest top politician to be infected by the deadly virus on a day when the number of COVID-19 cases in the country touched 119,536.

PML-N leader Ataullah Tarar confirmed on Thursday that Shehbaz, 68, has been infected with the virus. He claimed that Shehbaz contracted the virus as he had to appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on June 9 in a money laundering case.

"NAB was informed multiple times in writing that Shehbaz Sharif has suffered from cancer and compared to other people, his immunity system is weak,” Tarar said.

He said Shehbaz was already living in quarantine due to the threat of virus and had to leave home to appear before NAB.

"Imran Niazi (Pakistan prime minister) and NAB will be responsible if something happens to Shehbaz Sharif,” he said.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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