Federal govt decides to setup mass anti-Covid vaccination centres: sources

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to setup mass vaccination centres across the country in order to expedite the anti-COVID inoculation process, ARY NEWS reported quoting sources.

According to sources privy to the details, the National Command Operations Centre (NCOC) has also approved the establishment of the mass vaccination centres and had directed the provinces to implement the decision.

“The provinces have been directed to make such centres functional by March 17,” they said adding that the mass vaccination centres would be established in 17 cities of the country including provincial capitals.

The provinces could further decide on establishing more centres as needed, the decision conveyed by the NCOC said.

The sources said that the decision to setup anti-COVID inoculation centres on large scale was taken after the more than expected success of the Lahore Expo vaccination centre.

The cities where the government has planned to establish mass vaccination centres included Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Multan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Abbottabad and Mansehra.

Earlier in the day, the federal government has decided to provide a walk-in COVID vaccination facility to citizens over 70 years.

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The facility will be available for citizens across the country from March 16. Sources privy to the development said that Pakistani nationals over the age of 70 years can get themselves vaccinated against the pandemic from any of the vaccination centre.

In this regard, the provinces have been directed to ensure the arrangements for the walk-in vaccination drive and availability of the vaccine at the centres. Meanwhile, the vaccination of the age group of over 60 years will continue as per schedule.