Phased Covid Vaccination Plan Agreed By Sindh

In preparation for a mass vaccination that is expected to begin as early as the second month of 2021, the Sindh Government has finalised its plan to carry-out a province-wide vaccination drive and shared the same with the federal government.

Sindh government has said that it stands ready to provide significant assistance to the centre for providing assistance to the centre for vaccine storage and logistics.

The provincial health minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho wrote a letter to the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services in which she said that the Covid-19 vaccines could arrive into the country by March next year and the provincial government has set in place the mechanisms needed to carry out the vaccination programme across the province.

She informed the centre that the province was in the process of identifying fixed sites for vaccination and will also “engage private partners for support in the implementation of the plan”.

It also sought the federal government’s help for setting up the cold storage with cold chain maintenance and sought additional help for logistics, database mechanism of vaccinated citizens, and health protocols for the administration of the vaccines.

“The Covid-19 vaccination will be an important tool to stop the pandemic in Pakistan,” Dr Pechuho said. “And it is only possible if all the stakeholders join hands and contribute efficiently towards achieving this goal.”

Earlier last week, the federal government had increased the funds allocated for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines from countries around the world.

It seems highly likely that Pakistan will procure vaccines from China and Russia as the vaccines made in Europe including Pfizer, Oxford, and AstraZeneca have low-temperature storage requirements which would become impossible for the country to maintain.