Zubair Qureshi
In view of severe public outcry and demand by the public, the National Command & Operation Centre has decided to reopen the drive-through Mass Vaccination Centre (MVC), now as an ordinary vaccination centre in Fatima Jinnah Park.
The abrupt closure of the MVC in December last year had caused severe inconvenience and disturbance not only for the residents but for also those living in nearby areas and cities as it was catering up to 10,000 persons daily.
However, seeing the public demand rather the resentment, it has been decided to make it operational.
District Health Officer of Islamabad Dr Zaeem Zia said on Saturday the facility will be made operational on minimal level.
The hiring process for the facility is underway and soon it will be catering to 800-1,000 persons, he said.
The federal government and the district health administration had originally set up vaccination centres across various government hospitals and public facilities.
As part of this inoculation drive, a mass vaccination centre had also been set up at the F-9 Park to provide vaccination facilities to a large number of citizens. Approximately, 7,000 to 10,000 people were vaccinated daily, and 25 counters and 75 registration desks were set up for facilitation purposes.
However, the Ministry of Health abruptly decided to close the F-9 centre through an office memorandum. Following the order of the ministry, the Islamabad District Health Administration has closed the centre.
The decision to reopen the vaccination centre is also taken as the 5th wave of Covid-19 has gripped Islamabad and the coronavirus positivity stood at 6.9 per cent. According to the DHO, after 5,093 tests conducted during 24 hours, 354 persons tested positive.
