Vaccine doses arrive in Karachi

Jabs stored in health dept’s depot at optimum temperature

KARACHI:

The first tranche of Sinopharm vaccine doses, numbering 83,000, was handed over to the Sindh Health Department on Tuesday.

The doses, which were sent via an aeroplane, have been stored in the provincial health department’s depot, where temperature has been regulated to ensure that it is suitable for storing the vaccine doses.

The doses were received by Expanded Programme on Immunisation officials.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazl Pechuho and security officials reviewed the arrangements for transporting the doses to the depot and the EPI’s cold chain storage.

Thereafter, it was decided that the doses would be transported from the airport to the EPI’s depot under the supervision of a security squad.

According to EPI chief Dr Muhammad Akram Sultan, the optimum temperature for storing the doses in two degrees Celsius to eight degrees Celsius, and it will take around two to nine days to inoculate frontline health workers in the first phase of vaccination.

The doses will be transported across Karachi and elsewhere in Sindh under the supervision of the police and security agencies.

These doses will be sent to the Karachi health director and Sindh health director general.

According to the Karachi health director’s office, around 60,000 to 70,000 frontline health workers in government hospitals, basic health units and district health units will be inoculated in the first phase of inoculation in the city.

Read: 15 Covid-19 vaccination centres set up across Sindh

Salary for health workers

Dr Pechuho has also announced a basic salary for health workers deployed at the vaccination centres.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, she expressed gratitude to frontline health workers, and hoped that they would continue to volunteer their services for vaccination.

According to the statement, only those health workers will be allowed to assist in the vaccination who have been inoculated.

Security arrangements

Earlier on Monday, Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mahar issued a plan for the security of vaccination centres. In this regard, operations AIG Dr Asad Malhi issued a notification stating that the Sindh IGP had issued directives for devising a comprehensive plan for the security of doctors and other health workers post at the vaccination centres, safe transport of the doses and the security of the depot where vaccine were kept as well as the vaccination centres.

Ten vaccination centres have been set up in Karachi to administer the doses of coronavirus vaccine.

The vaccination centres in Karachi have been set up at Khaliq Dina Hall, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Sindh Government Hospital in Korangi No5, Dow International Dental College Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, the Sindh Government Hospital in New Karachi, Sindh Government’s Children’s Hospital at Nagan Chowrangi, the Sindh Government Qatar Hospital in Orangi Town, the Sindh Government Hospital in Liaquatabad and the BHQ in Malir district.

Vaccination cards, which are to be issued to those being administered the vaccine doses, have also been sent to Karachi. The cards will mention the date of vaccination, the relevant person’s national identity card numbers and other details.

Watch the following video in which the first vaccine of Covid19 in Sindh was administered to Dr. Tanveer Ahmed at Dow University Hospital Ojha Campus earlier today. He can be seen receiving the vaccine in the presence of Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah. 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2021.