In a shocking development, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has on Saturday tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection, exactly two days after taking the vaccine shot. Dr. Faisal Sultan, who is his top aide, said that the Prime Minister has confirmed to have contracted the viral infection and is self-isolating at home. 

The Prime Minister's Special Assistant on National Health Services, Regulations Dr. Sultan took to Twitter and confirmed that Imran Khan has contracted the viral infection. Khan's spokesman Dr. Shehbaz Gill said that the Prime Minister has a fever and cough.

On March 18, the Prime Minister was administered the first dose of Sinopharm vaccine, the only available COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan and he was vaccinated as part of the nationwide vaccination campaign, which is underway in its second phase. 

The Sinopharm vaccine is developed by China and Pakistan has recently received the second consignment of the vaccine from what was the epicenter of the global pandemic. Imran Khan has become one of the world leaders who had tested positive for the pandemic and the first world leader to contract the infection in 2021. In 2020, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Brazil President Jair Bolsonoro, then US President Donald Trump, and French President Macron had tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection. 

According to reports, Imran Khan was vaccinated during the inoculation process in the country in which people over 60 years of age are receiving the vaccine dose. However, he had developed symptoms of COVID-19 on the same day when he was administered the first dose of the vaccine. In a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister had appealed to the people to follow the Standard Operating Procedures to fight against the third wave of the pandemic in the country. 

Pakistan had officially launched its National COVID-19 Immunisation Program across the country in early February, shortly after receiving the vaccine from the Chinese government. On Wednesday, China had sent the second consignment of vaccines after which the vaccination drive was unveiled to the senior citizens.

As part of the vaccination program, Pakistan President Arif Alvi and his wife Samina Alvi had also received their COVID-19 vaccine doses with the Sinopharm vaccine in Islamabad. 

According to the Johns Hopkins University, Pakistan has reported 6,23,135 cases and 13, 799 deaths. After the news of Imran Khan testing positive for COVID-19 broke out, the ministers and his supporters have been expressing their wishes to the Prime Minister for a speedy recovery. They have been trending the hashtag #ImranKhan and expressing their wishes. Pakistan's Minister for Science Fawad Chaudhry said that the people of the country are praying for their leader.