AS some countries of the world have already embarked upon campaigns to administer Covid-19 vaccines to their citizens and the Pakistan Government is firming up arrangements for the purpose, attempts are being made by some vested interests to make the process controversial. The Islamabad High Court dismissed on Monday as non-maintainable a petition filed by a citizen seeking a restraining order against the Government, which is in the process of acquiring the Covid-19 vaccines.
There are reasons to believe that the petition was an attempt to create misgivings about use of Covid vaccines as the petitioner’s counsel claimed that through this vaccine the DNA of pig and chimpanzee would be inserted in people’s bodies. This is in line with the propaganda by some circles about polio drops that is leading to resistance against vaccination in some parts of the country and as a result, Pakistan is one of the two countries (along with Afghanistan) where polio remains endemic, triggering travel restrictions against its citizens. The IHC has done well by dismissing the petition and telling the petitioner that he can choose to refuse vaccination if he had issues with the jab. It is regrettable that first conspiracy theories were spread about the existence and spread of the virus despite the fact that it affected almost all countries of the globe and now attempts are being made to create suspicions against the vaccine that is presently the only effective treatment besides precautionary measures like social distancing and use of masks and hand sanitizers. Those apparently spreading disinformation about the use of vaccine are doing ‘no service’ to humanity; rather they are clouding minds of the people and polio-like resistance against Covid vaccines could play havoc with the life of the innocent people. At the same time, we would urge the Government to expedite procurement of effective and authentic vaccines as delay is not affordable in view of rapid spread of the virus during the second wave. Experts are also warning that the third wave could be more lethal and therefore, a hundred percent population needs to be immunized before that.
