Vaccination launched with jab to a PIMS doctor

Pakistan took a giant leap towards eliminating the coronavirus pandemic with the inauguration of the vaccination drive against Covid-19 on Tuesday, the eve of the start of a massive inoculation campaign across the country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan attended the inauguration ceremony in Islamabad, where a doctor received the first jab.

In the first phase of the vaccination drive, which begins on Wednesday (today), priority will be given to healthcare and frontline workers.

The drive begins after the country received the 500,000 dozes of Sinopharm vaccine, donated by China, on Monday. Pakistan also expects some 6 million dozens of AstraZeneca vaccine in the first quarter of this year, while 11 million more shots will reach the country by June.

Addressing the launching ceremony, the prime minister said that the vaccine would be judiciously distributed among all the provinces. He urged the health workers to essentially get them vaccinated as per the international practice.

“By the grace of Allah Almighty, coronavirus cases are on the decline in Pakistan, however, the people, should continue to take precautionary measures and follow the SOPs [standard operating procedures], including the use of face masks,” he added.

The prime minister noted that contrary to various countries, including the Unites States and United Kingdom, the economy of Pakistan, except the services sector, remains open and moving ahead. "We have already opened schools and will be opening the hostels as well,” he added.

Earlier, Dr Rana Imran Sikander, who heads the Covid ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) became the first person in the country to receive the vaccine in the presence of Prime Minister Imran and his Special Assistant on Health Dr Faisal Sultan.

Dr Sultan, in an interview, said that Covid-19 vaccination drive would start from Wednesday (today) with healthcare and frontline workers would receive the shots in the first phase. After them the vaccines would be administered to the elderly – those above 60 years of age – later this month.

Dr Sultan, the de facto health minister, said that getting the vaccine shot would be voluntary. “We will not force anyone for having dose,” he added. “Coronavirus vaccine will be available free of charge at all public hospitals,” he added.

Responding to a question, he said that the government had allocated $150 million for the purchase of the Covid-19 vaccine directly from the international market. “Pakistan is engaged with various international companies to get further dozes.”

Following the inauguration of the vaccination campaign, Planning Minister Asad Umar, who heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), would mark the beginning of the drive at a ceremony on Wednesday (today).

The NCOC said in a statement that the first tranches of the vaccine had reached all the federating units, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). It added the vaccine was dispatched to Sindh and Balochistan by air.