IN the backdrop of fast spreading Covid-19, the government has taken the right decision to open vaccine registration for all citizens after Eid-ul-Fitr.
Talking to media representatives on Thursday he said the Government would be able to vaccinate more than 125,000 people per day after Eid.
The move was need of the hour as on the one hand more and more people are contracting the disease and on the other hand eligible citizens are not forthcoming in desired numbers for inoculation, which is, presently, the most effective way of containing the threat.
There are people who are eager to get doses but they cannot avail free vaccination as presently only health workers and those above fifty years of age are eligible for registration.
The government has also allowed the private sector to import vaccines and an upper ceiling has been placed on their price.
It is hoped that with the passage of time, the private sector would start catering to the needs of those segments of the society who have the capacity to pay for vaccination.
The vaccination drive would also pick up pace if both the public and the private sectors lay emphasis on import of single dose vaccines as that would mean covering of more population in the shortest possible time.
The severity with which the pandemic has gripped the entire country demands allocation of more resources for import of vaccines as, according to latest estimates, fast rollout of Covid-19 vaccines prevented over thousands of deaths of people aged 60 and older.
We must prove wrong projections made by some studies that it would take a decade for Pakistan to inoculate 75% of its population.
A difference can be made by accelerating efforts for local production of vaccines as this would ensure greater availability at reduced cost.
In the immediate context, strict enforcement of SOPs can bring down the rising rate of infection and each and every citizen ought to cooperate in this regard as the current number of critical care patients in the country was higher than during the first coronavirus wave.
