Pakistan has fully vaccinated more than 20 million of its population against the deadly coronavirus as it grapples with the fourth wave.

In a tweet on Friday, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said that the government aims to inoculate 70 million people against the novel virus by the end of this year.

He continued that he is happy to announce that more than 20 million people have been fully vaccinated, while 50 million have been vaccinated with at least one dose.

"Inshallah will meet & surpass the target," the minister added.

As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), more than 65.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines have been administered since Pakistan began its immunisation drive.

Meanwhile, 61,128 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours, out of which 3,689 came out positive. So far, 1,197,887 people have tested positive for the virus in Pakistan. The national positivity ratio was recorded at 6.03% during the last 24 hours.

There are 5,362 critical cases, while 83 more people succumbed to Covid-19 overnight. The death toll has reached 26,580, according to the NCOC.

Meanwhile, 3,755 more recoveries took the tally to 1,079,867.

NCOC imposes tighter restrictions in Islamabad, several Punjab and KPK districts

Moreover, the NCOC has decided to extend restrictions it imposed on 24 cities in Punjab, Islamabad, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa till September 15. Under the restrictions, outdoor and indoor gatherings and inter-city public transport will be banned.

Indoor gyms and educational institutions will also remain closed. The decision was taken after the NCOC took a detailed stock of the current disease situation in different districts, daily hospital admissions, pressure on critical care and availability of oxygen.