Pakistan begins COVID-19 vaccination drive in provinces simultaneously

Pakistan vaccine — A doctor receives a dose of the Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, at a vaccination centre in Lahore on February 3, 2021. Image Credit: AFP

Islamabad: Pakistan kicked off its COVID-19 vaccination drive in all four provinces, Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Kashmir simultaneously on Wednesday.

A day earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had launched the campaign in Islamabad by overseeing administration of coronavirus vaccine to a local doctor.

On Wednesday, however, Minister for Planning & Development and Special Initiative Asad Umar initiated the province-wise immunisation drive at a ceremony that was also attended through video link by the chief ministers of the provinces.

While posting a picture on his social media account, the minister termed it a great sign that all the provinces were administering vaccine in their respective areas simultaneously.

There is no discrimination on the basis of language, creed or colour. Every Pakistani has equal rights and this is a moment of unity and success, he said, congratulating the entire team of the National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) over the big achievement.

Sindh receives 83,000 doses of vaccine

Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday oversaw COVID-19 vaccine administration to health workers at Karachi’s Ojha Hospital of Dow University of Health Sciences.

The federal government received 500,000 vaccine doses from China and sent 83,000 of them to Sindh, he told the media present on the occasion.

Of 320,000 health workers in the entire province, 180,000 are frontline workers, who will be administered these doses first.

According to the Sindh government, a number of vaccination centres have been set up in various hospitals of Karachi and the health teams administering doses will receive one extra month’s salary.

Punjab CM, Governor launches drive

The Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the drive held in Islamabad’s Punjab House.

The ceremony was also attended by Governor of Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar. A male doctor Faraz and a woman doctor Samawaya Akbar from Rawalpindi Urology Institute were the first two who were given the vaccine.

According to the Punjab government, complete records of the vaccine recipients will be saved and their health will be constantly monitored to see if there is any post-vaccine complication.

65,000 doses for KP

The vaccine administration drive also started in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan as they received 65,000 and 10,3000 jabs respectively.

In both the provinces health workers, particularly those involved in anti-COVID-19 operation, were administered vaccine shots. In Quetta, five vaccination centres at the city’s hospitals have been set up.

KP Chief Minister oversaw the jab administration process at a local hospital of Peshawar.

Balochistan complains of fewer jabs

Balochistan government has registered a complaint with the federal government for sending fewer number of vaccine doses than was required in the province.

According to Liaquat Shahwani, the provincial government’s spokesperson, there are 22,000 health workers in the province and the province had requested the federal government to send doses for each of them. However, the federal government approved only 5,000 out of 500,000 Chinese vaccines, he said, adding it will be hard for the provincial health authorities to manage with such a small number. The federal government has promised another 5,300 next week.

According to the National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) data there are 18,836 confirmed cases of COVID-19 while 196 casualties reported since the outbreak of virus.