Imran kicks off COVID-19 vaccination drive

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday kicked off the national coronavirus vaccination campaign, with the first dose administered to a doctor here.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister urged people to strictly adhere to the Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to stop its spread.

After witnessing the administration of vaccine to health workers, the prime minister said in the first phase, health workers, who were in the frontline in the fight against coronavirus, as well as those vulnerable due to age, would be vaccinated.

He appreciated China for providing 0.5 million doses of the vaccine to Pakistan, which, he assured, would be judiciously distributed across all the provinces.

Imran urged the health workers to essentially get them vaccinated as per the international practice.

Imran said though the coronavirus in Pakistan was subsiding with the grace of Allah Almighty, the people, however, should continue to take precautionary measures and follow the SOPs, including the use of face masks.

He said contrary to various countries, including the Unites States and United Kingdom, where around 400,000 and 100,000 people respectively lost their lives to Covid-19 and their economies badly affected due to lockdowns, the economy in Pakistan, except the services sector, was open and moving ahead. “We have already opened schools and will be opening the hostels as well. Coronavirus cases are on the decline, but we have to continue to follow the SOPs,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan Tuesday announced that Pakistan will start its first vaccination drive from Wednesday (today).

According to Dr Faisal Sultan, healthcare and frontline workers will be vaccinated first.

Talking to a private news channel here, the SAPM said after healthcare and frontline workers, those above 60 years of age will be vaccinated later this month.

He said getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 will be voluntary and the government will not force anyone to get vaccinated.

He said the vaccine would be available free of cost at all public hospitals.

He said the first batch of Sinopharm vaccine had arrived on Monday and the people of Pakistan were grateful to China for making all this possible.

Pakistan has asked China for another one million doses, he said, adding that the country was also set to receive 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine under a global scheme.

About six million doses will also arrive by the end of March under the COVAX scheme, Faisal Sultan added.

He further explained that in the first quarter (January-March), the government will be able to procure one million vaccine doses.

"We believe we will be able to obtain more doses in future," he said.

Replying to a question, he said the government had allocated initial funding of $150 million for purchase of vaccine directly from the international market to immunize 220 million people of Pakistan.

He said Pakistan was already engaged with various other international companies to get vaccine, adding that 70 per cent of the population will be vaccinated much before the targeted first quarter of 2021.

Meanwhile, the national tally of active corona cases was Tuesday recorded 33,365 with 1,220 more people testing positive and 1,285 recovering from the disease during the 24 hours.

Sixty-three patients died during the 24 hours of whom 53 were under treatment in hospital and 10 in their respective homes or quarantines, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

During the last 24 hours, most of deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Sindh.

The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 45 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 35 percent, Peshawar 28 percent and Lahore 35 percent.

The maximum Oxygen beds were occupied in Peshawar 42 percent, Multan 33 percent, Karachi 33 percent and Rawalpindi 22 percent.

Around 295 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Balochistan.

Around 38,813 tests were conducted across the country on Monday, including 10,355 in Sindh, 14,879 in Punjab, 6,296 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 6,171 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 424 in Balochistan, 361 in GB, and 327 in AJK.

Around 502,537 people have recovered so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio.

Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 547,648 cases have been detected including AJK 9,050, Balochistan 18,830, GB 4,909, ICT 41,493, KP 67,419, Punjab 158,220 and Sindh 247,727.

Around 11,746 deaths have been recorded countrywide since the eruption of the contagion.

Around 4,004 perished in Sindh, 4,793 in Punjab, 1,912 in KP, 475 in ICT, 196 in Balochistan, 102 in GB and 264 in AJK.

A total of 8,005,794 tests have been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony would consult the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) for devising mechanism for administration of coronavirus vaccine to intending pilgrims under the government Haj scheme, Joint Secretary Haj Shahid Ahmed Sindhu said Tuesday.

Speaking in a consultative meeting held to discuss Haj arrangements, he said no compromise would be made on health and safety of intending pilgrims.

Tender for procuring vaccine to save pilgrims from various diseases would be issued soon, he said.

The meeting discussed availability of medicines and vaccines related to health and safety of Haj pilgrims, provision of immunization against meningitis and seasonal flu to pilgrims.

In a related development, the first tranche of vaccine Tuesday reached all the federating units including AJK and GB.

The national immunisation process would be simultaneously kicked start in all of the federating units.

According to the NCOC, the vaccine doses for Sindh and Balochistan had also been dispatched.

Chairman NCOC and Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar would initiate national immunisation drive in a special ceremony whereas as Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Raja Farooq Haider Khan, chief ministers of all the provinces, including Gilgit Baltistan (GB), would participate in the ceremony via video link.