Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Thursday held a special session on COVID-19 vaccine availability and efficient administration to mull over National Vaccine Strategy being devised to amicably ensure the immunisation process. The NCOC meeting discussed epidemic curve chart data and National Vaccine Strategy.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood joined the session via video link. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Division Khusroo Bakhtiyar, SAPM on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar, Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz Satti, Surgeon General Pakistan Army Lieutenant General Nigar Johar and Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Nauman Zakria attended special session of NCOC.
National Coordinator NCOC General Hamood uz Zaman Khan updated the forum on National vaccine strategy in line with the decision taken by NCOC. The Forum was briefed in detail by DG NCOC Major General Asif Goraya that all efforts will be made to help facilitate federating units for smooth vaccine administration.
Forum was told that as per the Strategy front line healthcare workers (FLHW) are in the first stage of inoculation process of Covid vaccine whereas in the next level people above 65-year age due to their higher vulnerability to the deadly virus would be administered the vaccine. During the second stage of the Immunisation Strategy all healthcare workers and people 60 -64 years old would be administered the Coronavirus vaccine, it added.
The Forum informed that by the first quarter all FLHCW would be inoculated with the COVID vaccine. The Forum briefed that a special online National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) was developed by the NCOC in collaboration with the National Information Technology Board (NITB) which would serve as a brain of the entire immunisation process and was an online portal. The Forum was told that Vaccine administration cells would be set up at all District & Tehsil Headquarters Hospital and Regional Health Centers to ensure grass roots level approach of the vaccination process.
It was added that master trainers will be trained who would begin the training of healthcare workers for inoculation process. The training process would initiate at the federal capital AND Provincial level and the master trainers would further hold training of healthcare workers for inoculation.
