ISLAMABAD: Pakistani doctors on Friday urged the government to expedite the coronavirus vaccination drive across the country to protect people against COVID-19 and keep the national economy operational.
Pakistan started its immunization campaign in February and has so far administered 16.3 million doses. It aims to inoculate about 65 million people by the end of the year, which doctors and experts say will only be possible if the government increases the pace of its vaccination drive since it is the only way to decisively defeat the virus.
“As the daily infection rate has dropped, it is time to vaccinate a maximum number of people before a new wave of the pandemic sets in,” Dr. Qaisar Sajjad, secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association, told Arab News on Friday, adding that the government should start mobile vaccination service to reach as many people as possible on a daily basis, especially in the rural areas where people face transportation problems and cannot always reach designated vaccine centers in cities.
“The government also needs to improve the vaccine supply at the designated facilities and create awareness about the benefits of COVID-19 jabs,” he continued.
The country’s population breakdown shows that more than 125 million people are above the age of 18 and therefore eligible for vaccination in Pakistan. In Punjab, 66 million people are eligible while in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan this number stands at 27.5 million, 19 million and 6.4 million respectively.
About 2.7 million citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 1.4 million people of Islamabad and 1.1 million residents of Gilgit-Baltistan are also eligible for the vaccine.
According to the official data available with Arab News, Punjab has administered 8.8 million doses so far at its 669 COVID-19 vaccine centers.
Hammad Raza Bukhari, a spokesperson for the Punjab health department, told Arab News that daily vaccination target in the province was 250,000 shots, claiming that provincial authorities were administering over 200,000 doses daily.
Sindh province has administered over 3.6 million doses with 10.33 percent of total coverage. Documents show the daily coverage percentage in the province was well below the target of 16.8 percent.
Mehar Khursheed, a spokesperson for the Sindh health department, said the provincial government was trying to increase daily vaccination through social mobilization and by making shots mandatory for schoolteachers and people working in shopping malls, industries and the transportation sector.
“Mobile vaccination service is already in action,” she said. “We are vaccinating people in the far-flung areas through mobile units by using single dose CanSino.”
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has administered 1.8 million doses to date, with 7.76 percent of the targeted population covered.
The government allocated $1.2 billion for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines during this fiscal year.
Pakistani doctors urge government to increase pace of COVID-19 vaccination campaign
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Pakistani doctors urge government to increase pace of COVID-19 vaccination campaign
- Over 125 million people are eligible for coronavirus vaccination in Pakistan but government has only administered 16.3 million doses to date
- 66 million people are eligible in Punjab, 27.5 million in Sindh, 19 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 6.4 million in Balochistan
Pakistan, US discuss boosting anti-narcotics cooperation, pledge stronger ties
- Mohsin Naqvi highlights Pakistan’s ‘zero-tolerance policy,’ says National Narcotics Coordination Center to be set up soon
- ANF operations this year led to seizure of 134 tons of drugs, arrests of over 2,000 suspects, including 75 foreign nationals
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States vowed to strengthen bilateral ties with a special focus on anti-narcotics cooperation during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and acting US ambassador Natalie Baker on Saturday, said an official statement.
The talks covered intelligence sharing, joint efforts to curb drug trafficking and measures to prevent illegal immigration.
Pakistani officials also briefed the meeting on recent operations by the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) and plans to modernize screening and enforcement at airports.
“We are strictly implementing a zero-tolerance policy on narcotics,” Naqvi said, according to the Interior Ministry.
“Airports are being equipped with the most advanced scanning machines, and detecting drug smuggling at every possible stage is our top priority,” he continued, adding that drugs originating from Afghanistan were reaching dozens of countries and “destroying the younger generation.”
Naqvi said Pakistan would welcome US technical assistance for counter-narcotics efforts and confirmed that a National Narcotics Coordination Center would be established soon.
The statement said Baker offered US support for Pakistan’s work to combat narcotics and prevent illegal immigration, saying Washington attached “special importance” to its relationship with Pakistan and would continue cooperation across sectors.
During the meeting, Pakistani officials presented a detailed briefing on ANF operations, noting that under the annual counter-narcotics campaign, 134 tons of drugs had been seized, 2,001 suspects, including 75 foreign national, arrested and narcotics worth $12.797 billion confiscated.
Authorities also reported arresting 110 Afghan nationals in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces, clearing 40,659 acres of poppy cultivation and maintaining poppy-free status in several regions.
Naqvi said Pakistan regarded ties with the US as important for promoting regional peace and stability and remained committed to strengthening long-standing bilateral relations.
The meeting was also attended by the interior secretary, the ANF director general, the director of enforcement and officials from the US embassy.
