Zubair Qureshi
Federal Minister for Health Qadir Patel on Wednesday announced that the government would begin vaccinating children between the ages of five and 11 against coronavirus “within a month or two” in view of rising cases of COVID-19 and precautionary measures against the virus spread.
At a media briefing of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Wednesday, he said vaccines for children in the 5-11 year age bracket were only available with Pfizer.
“We have engaged in a dialogue with them. Hopefully, by August or September, we will receive 6.8 million doses from Pfizer which is a step forward,” he said.
Covid cases in Pakistan, the minister noted, had increased in the last few days. “The situation is not worrisome ye but it required the public to be cautious.”
For this purpose, the government is proposing three standard operating procedures (SOPs) that need to be “followed religiously”, he said.
“We have made masks mandatory in all closed gatherings, airlines, railways and public transport. Social distancing and proper sanitisation are also very important.”
Patel cautioned that Eidul Azha and Muharram were coming up during which large public gatherings are typically held. “We are mulling over strategies for these occasions as well, as the threat of coronavirus cases rising persists during these months,” he said.
He added that the government had also decided to increase mass testing across the country on the orders of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for which instructions had been sent to the health secretaries of all four provinces.
