Week-long drive to administer Covid jabs to students begins

Health dept restricts eligibility to students aged 17 and above

KARACHI:

A week-long campaign to inoculate 350,000 young students in Sindh began on Monday.

Contrary to their announcement last week, the provincial health department has decided to limit the drive, which will continue till September 11, to students aged 17 years and above instead of all students enrolled in Grade IX and above.

"The drive launched smoothly in all districts of the province," confirmed Sindh Health Services Director Dr Irshad Memon, speaking to The Express Tribune. Only those students whose parents have submitted signed consent forms to their respective school administrations are being given the jabs.

"We will not vaccinate students if parents are not willing," said Dr Memon, adding that the campaign would cover students enrolled in both the morning and afternoon shifts at public and private educational institutes.

According to the government data, there are a total of 346,921 students, including 181,994 in Grade XI. There are 90 higher secondary schools and 380 O and A Level schools besides 150 private colleges in Karachi alone. Around 3,053 teams are to cover 57,820 students per day to achieve the campaign target.

Sindh Private Schools Registrar Rafia Javed confirmed that the drive has also been initiated in private schools as scheduled. "The real issue is [getting] the consent of the parents. But I see parents are willing to protect their kids from the virus." In a letter to all heads of institutions falling under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of College Education, the education department stated that no student eligible for the Covid jabs would be permitted to enroll, sit in classes or appear for exams without receiving the vaccine.

For students below the age of 17 years, educational institutes were directed to collect data and submit the same to the directorate along with students' B-Form issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). The directorate further directed educational institutions to set up vaccination desks at colleges to facilitate the students and health teams in the inoculation process.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Javed said everyone was cooperating with the health and education departments' directives.

She believed that female students showed more willingness to receive Covid jabs. Meanwhile, at a meeting held by representatives of private schools, health department teams were directed to administer the vaccine doses only after an initial medical examination. Educational institutes were also directed to support the government in spreading awareness about the immunisation campaign and obtain the consent of parents.