Mass vaccination centre at F-9 Park closed

As the fifth wave of Covid-19 quickly engulfs Islamabad, the Ministry of Health has made the abrupt decision to close the mass vaccination centre at F-9 Park.

The closure of the centre has raised concerns among the city’s residents. In the last 24 hours, 23 cases of the omicron variant emerged, while a total 57 cases of coronavirus were reported in the capital.

The federal government and the district health administration had originally set up vaccination centres across various government hospitals and public facilities. As part of this inoculation drive, a mass vaccination centre had also been set up at the F-9 Park to provide vaccination facilities to a large number of citizens. Approximately, 7,000 to 10,000 people were vaccinated daily, and 25 counters and 75 registration desks were set up for facilitation purposes.

However, the Ministry of Health abruptly decided to close the F-9 centre through an office memorandum. Following the order of the ministry, the Islamabad District Health Administration has closed the centre.

Read More: Vaccination centre set up at ACP Karachi

The District Health Officer (DHO) Islamabad Dr Zaeem Zia confirmed that the centre had been closed since Tuesday night. “People are directed to visit Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), or Polyclinic Hospital instead,” he said. Meanwhile, Dr Zia also confirmed that 23 more citizens had been diagnosed with Omicron variant in the last 24 hours - after which the total number of people affected by the new variant had jumped to 141 in the city.

It should be noted that first case of omicron variant in Islamabad was reported on December 25. According to the DHO, majority of the victims of this variant are those who did not get themselves vaccinated against the virus. “The majority of covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals are also non-vaccinated,” he added.

The DHO said that in the wake of the global pandemic, there was a heightened risk of further spread of the new variant in Islamabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2022.