Covid booster shots declared mandatory

Mobile teams formed to vaccinate provincial, federal institutions’ employees

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:

With the positivity rate of coronavirus currently hovering at 10.12 per cent and the death of two more patients, the Rawalpindi District Health Authority has declared it mandatory for employees of all provincial and federal institutions to receive their pending booster vaccines.

In case any employees refuse to get jabbed, the heads of government institutions have been authorised to demand an explanation and take necessary action against those who insist on not getting vaccinated without a plausible reason.

The District Health Authority has also decided to increase the rate of coronavirus sampling and has formally initiated a schedule for reinforced inoculation of employees besides forming mobile teams to administer these doses.

Health experts have confirmed that booster doses greatly reduce the risk of citizens contracting coronavirus as well as its Omicron variant.

“If a patient tests positive even after taking the booster shot, their recovery time will be short,” said District Health Officer Dr Ehsan Ghani.

He added that if anyone starts suffering from shortness of breath, the patient must be shifted to the hospital immediately.

“Unlike the Delta variant, patients infected with Omicron may not have a high fever but might develop shortness of breath,” said Dr Ghani.

According to latest figures, two people have succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours. Furthermore, 938 people were tested for Covid-19 in the Rawalpindi district, out of which 95 tests returned positive.

So far, 35,403 people have recovered from the viral disease, while 657 patients are in home isolation. At present, there are 39 patients in hospitals in the district, out of which four are on ventilator, 11 are in a stable condition and 24 are on double oxygen.

Some 14 patients are under treatment at the Fauji Foundation Hospital, three in Holy Family Hospital and 10 at the Institute of Urology.

Cases reported in colleges

The highly contagious COVID-19 virus has found its mark in the federal capital’s educational institutions, as a large number of students in five model colleges have tested positive during the last two days.

The health authorities have written a letter to the district administration recommending closure of the affected government colleges of the city.

In a letter addressed to the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia said that a large number of students in Islamabad Model College for Girls, Shakrial, Islamabad Model College for Boys, G-10/5, Islamabad Model College for Girls, F-7/4, Islamabad Model College for Girls, F-6/2, and Islamabad Model College for Girls, G-6/1 have been diagnosed with coronavirus.

Dr Zia has recommended that the aforementioned educational institutions be closed for screening of students and disinfection of the premises.

The educational institutions in Islamabad had reopened from January 11 after the winter break, but the fifth wave of the coronavirus has intensified in the meantime, mainly due to the Omicron variant.

Door-to-door drive

Health expert Dr Nasrullah Sabki has said that just like the regular anti-polio campaigns, the government should launch door-to-door Covid-19 vaccination drives to curtail the burgeoning cases of the Omicron variant.

Talking to APP on Monday, he said that the door-to-door vaccination would help the government meet its target of jabbing a maximum number of people in a short span of time.

Dr Sabki added that vaccinated people were less affected by the new coronavirus variant as compared to those who were not inoculated yet. He also urged that citizens who completed their vaccination course six months ago must get booster shots as soon as possible to ensure a safer and healthier life ahead.

The health expert lamented that despite the new wave of COVID-19 spreading alarmingly, many people were disregarding the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

He said as per the latest reports, the Islamabad positivity ratio had jumped to 11 per cent, so it was high time that citizens start wearing face masks, ensure social distancing, wash their hands time and again and avoid public gatherings.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2022.