Two centres with 4,000 daily vaccination capacity set up
Zubair Qureshi
The federal capital’s health department administered vaccines (first doze) to 1,104 persons including health workers and senior citizens at different vaccination centres of Islamabad including PIMS, Polyclinic, Quaid-e-Azam Hospital, CDA and others.
A total 15 public and private hospitals and health facilities have been set up in the capital’s urban and rural areas for the vaccination of health workers and elderly persons.
As vaccination of the elderly people goes on, arrangements have been made in the capital to vaccinate at least 4,000 people a day through the establishment of a mass vaccination centre.
The centre has been set up at the Isolation Hospital and Infections Treatment Centre where vaccination will begin next week.
Officials of the capital administration said 663 people were diagnosed with the virus in Islamabad on Friday along with and one death. The positivity rate was 8pc.
District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia told Pakistan Observer that 15 vaccination centres were currently operating in the capital.
Healthcare workers and citizens above the age of 60 years are being administered the vaccine, the DHO said, adding the capital had an elderly population of 132,104.
Around 80,063 people are in the age group of 60-69; 36,028 in 70-79 and 16,013 in the 80 and above age group; of them 4,337 people in the age group of 60-69, 1849 in the age group of 70-79 and 654 in the 80 and above group already contracted the virus.
So far, 52,483 health workers and elderly people got themselves registered for vaccination and the schedule was issued to 42,906 of them he said, adding 32,492 healthcare workers and elders had been vaccinated in the capital.
Vaccination of elderly people and healthcare workers is likely to speed up after the vaccination centres are operational, Dr Zia said, adding: “We are hopeful that vaccination of these two groups will be completed in a month.”
So far, 39,999 vaccines have been issued to 15 centres and over 7,000 vaccinations are available in the centres, he added.
With addition of 663 new cases Islamabad’s total number of cases of Covid-19 has jumped to 554,347 and after one death reported the number of fatalities has reached 555.
Meanwhile, the ICT administration during a crackdown on violations of Covid-19 arrested a number of persons and imposed fine worth Rs15,000 in Bhara Kahu and adjacent areas of Islamabad.
Dr Zaeem Zia said the virus situation is assuming alarming proportions and this third wave is deadlier and speedier than the previous two.
We need to take extraordinary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and follow all the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in letter and spirit, he said.
