COVID vaccination halted in Punjab province after 'shortage'  

LAHORE: Punjab government has decided to halt COVID vaccination in the province for two days owing to a shortage of the vaccine in the province, ARY NEWS reported quoting sources.

According to sources in the health ministry, the Punjab government only has a stock of vaccines for a day and therefore it has been decided to halt the vaccination process for two days. “200,000 doses of the vaccine will reach the province by Sunday evening,” they said.

Moreover, it has further emerged that the province is unable to purchase 1 million doses of COVID vaccine owing to the negligence of the secretary health.

Although the province has released funds of Rs1.5 billion for the purchase, however, no progress has so far been made from the primary and secondary healthcare department in the purchase of the COVID vaccine.

When asked to respond to the matter, the secretary of the provincial healthcare department Sara Aslam refused to comment on the matter.

It is pertinent to mention here that reports of vaccine scarcity have emerged two days back across the country. According to a report, vaccination centres in Lahore and other parts of Punjab were witnessing a scarcity of COVID-19 vaccine shots.

The largest Covid vaccination center at Karachi Expo Center also Tuesday reported it facing a shortage of Chinese vaccines.

The people protested at vaccination centres in Lahore after they were informed about the scarcity of the vaccine in the stock. Due to shortage of the vaccine, the security guards deputed outside the vaccination centres were sending the people back.

“We are standing in queues since the morning, now they are sending us back,” protesters said.