Sindh makes COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all citizens

KARACHI: In order to ensure the well-being of citizens against the coronavirus, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday announced to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for every citizen.

The chief minister also directed relevant authorities not to release salaries of government employees who are refusing to get themselves vaccinated against the contagious coronavirus.

A meeting of the Provincial Task Force on COVID-19 was held today, with CM Murad in the chair, to review the latest situation in the province and the vaccination campaign.

“We have to secure our citizens by taking some drastic measures,” Murad Ali Shah said and directed the health department to establish vaccination coverage facilities in every nook and corner of the province.

“I want at least 300 basic units to be declared as vaccination centres in the rural areas with a target of vaccinating 30,000 people per day,” he said.

Murad Ali Shah, giving another target to the health department, said that five mobile vaccination teams should be established on every taluka level.

The CM also directed the health department to give a target of 10,000 vaccination to 90 private hospitals already allowed to vaccinate people.

It was also decided to register more private hospitals for vaccination.

Unvaccinated employees will not get salaries

Taking a policy decision, Murad Ali Shah directed the chief secretary to give a month of June to all the government/semi-government/local government employees for getting themselves vaccinated and stop salaries of those officials who fail to get them vaccinated by the end of this month.

“I mean, non-vaccinated officials would not be released after June,” he announced.

While briefing the meeting about the vaccination, Secretary Health Dr Kazim Jatoi said that so far 1,550, 553 doses have been utilized, of them 1,121,402 in the first dose and 429,223 in the second dose.

Indian variant

The participants were informed that on the evening of May 29, four cases of Indian variant were identified in Sindh. The infected passengers had travel histories of Iraq and Oman.

The health department has identified their 17 contacts and their tests were being conducted while the patients have been isolated and further investigations were in progress.