Staff Reporter Islamabad
Vaccination drives against the novel coronavirus started simultaneously in all federating units of the country on Wednesday, a day after 500,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in Islamabad as a gift from China. As per the government’s vaccination strategy, health workers were the first to receive the vaccine.
Simultaneous inauguration ceremonies, held in major cities of all provinces as well as in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, were attended by the respective chief executives and other high ranking officials.
Planning Minister Asad Umar, who is also the chair of the National Command and Operation Centre, spoke to all the federating units through video link along with prime minister’s aide Dr Faisal Sultan ahead of the inoculations.
The National Command and Operation Centre officials including Lt Gen Hamooduz Zaman Khan were also present along with Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar while China’s Commercial Minister Xie Guoxiang was the chief guest. Addressing the ceremonies via video link, Umar paid tribute to the frontline health workers for their “sacrifices and meritorious services” and termed them as the “real heroes” who put their lives on the line in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
The minister also thanked China for gifting 500,000 vaccine doses to Pakistan which enabled the government to inoculate the national immunisation drive.
He further said that the holding of simultaneous inaugural ceremonies reflected a national effort and collaboration between the provinces and the federal government in the fight against the contagion.
Dr Sultan, in his address, assured the nation of the vaccine’s efficacy saying that the vaccine had “been tested on thousands [of people] and has proven to be safe and effective so we don’t need to worry”.
“Let me tell you something about the Sinopharm vaccine,” he said. “It is a good vaccine, its efficacy is between 79-86 per cent.”
He expressed hope that by the end of the year, the government would be able to vaccinate 70pc of the eligible population, which amounts to 100 million people.
He added that more than 500 vaccine centres had been established and according to the current capacity, 40,000 people can be vaccinated daily. The government was aiming to increase this number, he said.
The vaccine was administered to Rizwana yasmeen. She is working as charge nurse in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences isolation unit, she and her team has been working tirelessly in fight against Covid-19 and she is representing all medical and paramedical staff of PIMS who have been involved in managing Covid-19 patients.
The vaccinated individuals also included Javed Iqbal who is covid surveillance team member from DHO office Islamabad, he has been working in surveillance activities since first case of Covid19 was reported in Islamabad.
He and his team has been working tirelessly and has diagnosed over 10,000 positive cases in Islamabad by contact tracing and sampling.
