Sindh to begin COVID-19 vaccination from Feb 3rd

Sher Afzal

KARACHI: COVID-19 vaccination program to begin on 3rd February 2021 in Sindh, the official confirmed on Friday. The vaccination program will be started in seven districts of Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad and Jamshoro.

The Sindh government will begin its Covid-19 vaccination program in which the frontline health care workers including doctors, paramedics, laboratory technician will be vaccinated at first.

The announcement came out during the press conference of Provincial Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah along with Parliamentary Secretary Health MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro at Sindh Assembly Committee Room.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah commented saying that Covid-19 test collection teams have also been deputed to conduct test at door to door from coming Wednesday in ten severely coronavirus hit districts of province.

While commenting on the ratio of doses, Shah remarked that China was providing doses of Sinopharm vaccine and Sindh will get 83359 doses from it. The Sindh government will receive vaccine on Sunday, he added.

Nasir also mentioned that Health department from its own resources has allocated Rs 1.5 billion for the purchase of different COVID19 vaccines, besid-es Sindh government has also allocated appropriate f-unds for procurement of v-accines. He also added that a private donor group has also committed to provide Astra Zeneca and Pfizer vaccination for 20 percent population of Pakistan.

Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Sindh Health Minister Dr. Azra Pechuhu were trying hard to procure COVID19 vaccines so that everyone in the province could be given dose free of cost, he said.

Shah remarked that Sindh government has contacted many companies and donor agencies in this regard.

During the press conference, the Parliamentary Secretary on Health MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro expressed his views by saying that 1 lac 70 thousands frontline health care workers were registered with them and added that priority will be given to those working in ICU, Labora-tory technicians, and team members deputed to collect sample from door to door.

While commenting on the private sector support for vaccination, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that they welcome private sector to support us in vaccination of people of Sindh on free of cost but private sector should be certified from relevant authorities.