Sindh to raise funds to buy Covid-19 vaccine

Have contacted Britain’s AstraZeneca, China's Sinopharm for purchasing jabs, says health dept

The Sindh Health Department has decided to collect funds for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccine.

Making the announcement on Tuesday - just days after Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazl Pechuho decried the delay by the Centre in the purchase of Covid-19 jabs and demanded procurement rights for provinces - the provincial health department issued a statement revealing that it had contacted Britain's AstraZeneca and China's Sinopharm to buy vaccine doses.

Initially, Rs1.5 billion will be reserved for the purchase of vaccines this year and doses will be administered to 125,000 frontline health workers in the first phase of immunisation, the statement read.

Meanwhile, Pechuho again criticised the federal government for putting off the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines.

"The process of purchase in other countries is underway, while the Pakistani government has just started preparing a plan for the procurement of vaccine," she said.

Pechuho had raised similar concerns earlier, stating that "Despite contact with the federal government regarding the coronavirus vaccine, no schedule for the availability of jabs has come to light so far."

Read Pakistan sees 1,772 new coronavirus cases

"We will be the last country in the world to have a delayed availability of vaccines," she had remarked.

The Sindh health minister had demanded that the provinces be allowed to purchase the two vaccines approved by the Drug Regulation Authority of Pakistan.

"To save lives, it is important that we start vaccinating as soon as possible," she had stressed, adding that in view of the population in Karachi, it was important to start vaccination at the earliest.

Reiterating these views on Tuesday, the health minister announced that the Sindh government was setting up an online platform for assisting the elderly, classified as those aged above 60, with vaccination.

778 fresh infections detected

The coronavirus claimed 17 more lives in Sindh and the province saw another 778 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, said a statement issued by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

Following these developments, the CM said, the provincial Covid-19 death toll now touches 3,830 and the infection tally has risen to 237,308.

Among the new cases, 597 were detected in Karachi, with 290 belonging to East district, 195 to South district, 68 to Central district, 17 to Korangi, 15 to Malir and 12 to West district. Moreover, 41 new cases were reported in Hyderabad, 20 in Mirpurkhas, 12 in Jacobabad, seven each in Shaheed Benazirabad and Dadu, six in Sanghar, five each in Sukkur and Jamshoro, four in Badin, three each in Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta and Ghotki, two each in Kashmore, Kandhkot, Shikarpur and Sujawal and one in Larkana.

Besides, he said 870 recoveries were reported on the day, lifting the total number of recovered Covid-19 patients in Sindh to 215,101.

This leaves 18,377 persons infected with the coronavirus under treatment, with 17,407 in home isolation, 12 in isolation centres and 958 in hospitals, the CM said, adding that 869 patients, including 88 on ventilators, were critically ill.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2021.