KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that being a nuclear country we should have launched vaccination drive much earlier but thanks to the Chinese government that finally we have made it, This he said while addressing the launching ceremony of Sinopharm (anti-COVID-19) vaccine here at Dow University Hospital, Ojha Campus on Wednesday. Minister Health Dr. Azra Pechuho, Counsel General of China in Karachi, Secretary Health Kazim Jatoi, VC Dow University Saeed Qureshi, and other concerned were present on the occasion.
He said that “we are a nuclear power and were running from pillar to post to arrange the vaccine,” he deplored and said we should have procured it much earlier. He urged the federal government to talk to other countries and procure the vaccine so that a mass campaign could be launched. He said that the federal government was saying that the vaccine was coming from this country and that country but finally China being our best friend came up to help us and provided a vaccine.
Mr. Shah said that Pakistan has received 5,00,000 doses of Sinopharm Vaccine from the Chinese Government. We, as a nation, are thankful to the China government. He added that Sindh Province has received 83,000 as the first dose for Front Line Health Care Workers, and the second dose for these 83,000 Front Line Health Care Workers would be received in the second week of February 2021. The CM said that there was a total of 320,000 Health Care Workers in the province; out of the 180,000 were Frontline Health Care Workers. Therefore, we would have to arrange the doses accordingly, he said and added in the first phase, we were going to start a vaccination campaign in three major cities of Sindh, Karachi, Hyderabad, and Shaheed Benazirabad due to the high positivity rate of COVID-19 Cases.
Murad Ali Shah said that COVID-19 Vaccination Drive would help to stop further transmission of the Pandemic. According to the chief minister, in the first phase, Sindh has established fifteen Adult Vaccination Centers in Six Divisions all over Sindh. “We will vaccinate all the Frontline Health Care Workers either they are from government hospitals or private hospitals,” Mr. Shah said and added in a later stage, the whole population would be vaccinated against the COVID-19 on government expenses. The CM said that there was no doubt to be proud that the Sindh Government has always led in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the credit went to our Frontline Health Care Workers.
“Alhamdulillah, we have managed both waves of COVID-19, with minimum loss of lives and the economy,” he said and added that now, people have started coming back to normal lifestyle and schools have opened. Health System has comparatively Strengthened in the province, the CM said and added the Infrastructure of hospitals have remarkably increased. “At last, it is reiterated that the Pandemic has not yet gone- It is our responsibility to follow the SOPs, wear masks and maintain social distancing,” he said.
Vaccination: The chief minister along with minister health witnessed the administration of the vaccine to two frontline workers and congratulated them to be the first ones in the province to have been vaccinated. At the conclusion of the program, the chief minister released colorful balloons just to jubilate the beginning of a new ear in the country in general and in the province in particular.
