Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab has on Thursday stressed on following coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs), saying that a face mask will “protect us against the contagious disease until we get the vaccine”.

“Masks are basically [like] a vaccine. Everyone can wear masks, wash their hands and play a role in preventing the COVID-19,” he said.

According to a statement issued by Chief Minister House on Thursday, 12 more patients succumbed to coronavirus overnight, taking the death toll to 3,855 in Sindh.

Meanwhile, 716 new cases were diagnosed across the province when 6,380 tests were conducted during the past 24 hours.

As per the statement, the positivity rate of the virus stands at 11.2% in Sindh.

Earlier in a day, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced a good news that Pakistan will likely to receive the first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine from China by January 31, 2021.

Talking to media in Islamabad, FM Qureshi told Chinese Foreign Minister, in a telephonic conversation, said that Pakistan can air lift the medicine.

The foreign minister said that he told his Chinese counterpart that Pakistan requires 1.1 million doses of the vaccine in view of its large population.

He further informed that the Chinese side also promised to make available the required quantity of the medicine by the end of next month.

FM Qureshi also said that China has also agreed to manufacture the COVID vaccine in Pakistan.

He said that first cache of the vaccine is a grant from China to be provided to Pakistan free of cost as a goodwill gesture.