Sindh ups implementation of SOPs

Health workers go door-to-door to inoculate unvaccinated people

KARACHI:

The Sindh health department on Tuesday geared up efforts to contain the fifth wave of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) which has hit the world in the shape of the Omicron variant.

A meeting of the Sindh health minister with executive heads of the divisions and districts, and health officials concurred in strengthening the vaccination outreach by carrying out vaccination drives in the most populous districts of the province.

Minister for Health Dr Azra Pechuhu held an online meeting with the commissioners and the deputy commissioners and district health officers (DHOs) of Karachi, Sukkur and Larkana.

Health Secretary Zulfikar Shah and Parliamentary Secretary Health Qasim Soomro were also in attendance.

Officials informed the meeting that the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 pandemic is a 'super spreader' and its positivity rate has touched 15.5% in Karachi, while the number of patients were also increasing across the province.

Therefore vaccination coverage for these areas is necessary, particularly Karachi, officials said, explaining that a significant number of people in suburbs of the port city have not even received their first dose yet.

Minister for health said there should be two phases of vaccination drives, the first to cover Karachi, Sukkur and Larkana divisions and the second to cover Karachi, again because of the increased population and onwards to Hyderabad and Shaheed Benazirabad.

She said there should be an extensive 14-day vaccination drive and vaccinators should be hired for the purpose. Moreover, she said, scores of women remain confined to their homes and are unable to reach the vaccination centres, therefore, lady health workers should be hired to vaccinate them at their doorstep.

Read More: Covid claims 9 more lives as Omicron positivity hits 20%

The meeting noted that a number of multinational institutions are suspending their activities in Pakistan and the province of Sindh especially because of the uptick in covid infections and the downward trend of people getting vaccinated.

However, the sole defence against the pandemic is vaccination, Zakir Shah said. As per the health secretary, 90% of the patients in covid wards of government hospitals across the province are those who are unvaccinated, which means that the target vaccinations are not being met.

Implementing SOPs

Dr Azra said that it is important to identify the hotspots of covid infections and to target the vaccination efforts the most in those areas. Law enforcement personnel must be trained and directed to promote the implementation of SOPs and that they themselves should ardently follow SOPs such as the wearing of masks.

The meeting decided that the commissioners and the deputy commissioners will ensure that no indoor activities or events should be allowed if they are not following SOPS.

The administration will monitor public transport, as there is a high level of infection transmission within those mediums of transport.

Unvaccinated staff working in different trade and industrial sectors should be barred from working and upon denial of so, those businesses should be closed/sealed till vaccination of the same be done. Home department is asked to issue 'facemask' advisory for all indoor and outdoor public places.

There should be an increase in testing for covid as well, random samples must be taken from marketplaces and the like to get a better more accurate picture of covid trends.

School vaccinations must be concentrated on as the numbers for school children getting vaccinated are super low. Mosques, madrassas should be focused on as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2022.