New age-based inoculation policy for health workers

Only citizens above 70 years of age to be vaccinated

PESHAWAR:

The provincial Health Department has decided to introduce a new age-based Covid-19 inoculation policy for health workers in the province.

Talking to The Express Tribune an official said that it had been decided to introduce the new policy for health workers in which older health workers would be vaccinated first and the younger ones afterwards. He said that the vaccination of the health workers will be held as per their age and group.

“A directive has been sent to the hospital directors, District Health Officers (DFO) and Medical Superintendents (MS). In this they have been directed to stop the registration of the health workers immediately as the new registration for jabs will be done on the basis of age strictly,” he said, adding that those who are already registered will be inoculated as per schedule but afterwards only aged workers will be vaccinated.

“The registration of the 60-69 year old citizens have also been stopped. And all the resources have been shifted towards vaccinating common citizen aged 70 years or above,” said the official, adding that those already registered with the Health Department will get jabs as per the old procedure.

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“All the vaccination centers have been informed about the new policy and directed to obey it strictly,” he said.

Meanwhile around nine people have lost their lives to Covid-19 across the province as 624 new cases have also been reported in the last 24 hours.

Around six people died in Peshawar, two in Swat and one man in Swabi district of the province. At the same time around 193 patients also successfully recovered.

In Peshawar 269, Nowshera 80, Swat 79, Charsadda 46, Sawabi 34, Mardan 26, Haripur 23, Abbotabad 20, Dir Lower 16, Kohat 14, Bajaur seven, Chitral Lower two and Khyber, Buner, Dir Upper, Chitral Upper, Manshera and DI Khan reported one case each.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2021.