President slams VIPs, elites for breaking queue to get anti-Covid shots

President Dr Arif Alvi has condemned VIPs, elites and powerful people around the world for breaking the queue and getting themselves vaccinated against Covid-19.

Taking to the microblogging site Twitter on Friday, he said that the shameful attitude is being criticised across the world. However, the president expressed satisfaction that Pakistan remained safe from it.

"This Naya Pakistan is based on merit and we should be proud of it," he added.

The president had shared an article of The New York Times which talked about how the powerful and well-connected in South America jumped the line to get vaccines early.

Two ministers in Peru and one in Argentina have resigned for receiving or giving preferential access to scarce vaccines. A minister in Ecuador is being investigated for doing the same, according to the article.

South America was shattered by the virus, accounting for nearly a 5th of all pandemic deaths worldwide — 450,000, according to the official tally — despite representing about 5% of the world’s population. Mortality data suggests the pandemic’s real toll on the region is at least double the official numbers.

Earlier this month, an officer of the District Health Office (DHO) in Karachi East was suspended for allegedly violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to facilitate the vaccination against Covid-19 of PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair's daughter and son-in-law.

"The person who facilitated this has been suspended and an enquiry will be taking place. Our priority is our Frontline Healthcare Workers only in this phase," Meeran Yousuf, media coordinator to the Sindh health and population welfare minister, wrote on her Twitter handle.