Stalled vaccine drive

At a time when the country is witnessing a strong surge in cases of Covid-19, the Sindh government’s corona vaccination drive has been stalled over reported delay in the payment of salaries and remuneration. The major government-run vaccination facility at Expo Centre in Karachi, the Sindh capital, has been lying shut for the past several days because those employed there have struck work in protest against alleged non-payment of their salaries for nine months. As a result, a large number of people are turning back in disappointment. The coronavirus situation in the country as well as Sindh has become serious. Latest infection figures point towards a dangerous trend considering the fact that the Omicron variant of coronavirus travels faster than the earlier two infestations. Now more than 7,000 Covid-positive cases have been recorded nation-wide; and the number of infected persons in Sindh is over 2,000.

By now people have largely been convinced that preventive inoculation is the best defence against the dreaded disease. Unfortunately, while people from all strata of society are willing to receive the preventive vaccine, obstacles have come up in the way for the provincial government. The stalemate over the reported remuneration issue needs to be resolved at the earliest. The vaccination facility at the Expo Centre had become operational several months ago. Here a large number of people were being vaccinated on a daily basis, before it stopped functioning. We hope the issues will be settled amicably and the facility resumes working soon.

Corona vaccination is enormously significant for both individuals and society as a whole. Experts say coronavirus infections increase exponentially. One Covid-19 infected person can potentially transmit the virus to 600 individuals in a week. Vaccinated persons significantly help retard the transmission of the virus. They protect their family and others from getting infected. The best fight against the pandemic is to receive preventive vaccines and follow the corona protocols.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2022.

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