Punjab launches second phase of ‘RED’

The Punjab government on Monday launched the second phase of the special coronavirus vaccination campaign “Reach Every Door” (RED) with a target of inoculating as many as 26.7 million people till December 31.

To review the arrangements for the drive, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and Chief Secretary Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal jointly chaired a meeting at Civil Secretariat.

The administrative secretaries of different departments including health, Auqaf, schools and higher education attended the meeting while all the deputy commissioners participated through video link. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Yasmin Rashid said that prevention of coronavirus is possible only through vaccination and adhering to SOPs.

“The rate of positive cases of coronavirus in Punjab is less than 1% but we need to be very careful after the emergence of Omicron variant of corona in South Africa,” she remarked.

She said that any vaccine can be given for booster dose, adding that as per the guidelines of NCOC, the booster would be given free of cost to health workers and people above 50 years of age. She mentioned that the NCOC appreciated the performance of the Punjab government in completing the vaccination targets.

Directing all the deputy commissioners to achieve the vaccine targets, the chief secretary said the coronavirus vaccination campaign was a national cause. He lauded the performance of the deputy commissioners in polio and corona vaccination campaigns and urged them to continue work with the same spirit and diligence.

Secretary Primary Health Imran Sikandar Baloch gave a briefing to the meeting participants. He said that 26.7 million people would be vaccinated during the second phase to be continued till December 31 and more than 18,000 teams have been formed for this purpose.

He said that call centres have been set up in the districts for informing people about their second dose. During the first phase, 13.2 million people were vaccinated.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2021.