'People are not coming for Covid vaccination despite availability of stocks'

ISLAMABAD: The statistics of the COVID-19 vaccination showed that the nationals were not heading for being vaccinated despite the availability of stocks of coronavirus vaccines in Pakistan, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said in a Twitter message that 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far and 78 per cent of vaccines were purchased by the Pakistani government. He detailed that 0.1  million people were vaccinated on Tuesday (yesterday).

Dr Faisal Sultan has also provided the details of COVID-19 vaccines that arrived in Pakistan. According to the statistics, 500,000 doses had arrived in January this year, 700,000 in February, 1,060,000 in March and 3,000,000 in April. More stocks of the vaccines are also expected to arrive in Pakistan in the coming months up to 6,700,000 in May and 6,300,000 in June.

Snapshot – vaccine arrivals (doses)

Jan 500,000
Feb 700,000
Mar 1,060,000
Apr 3,000,000
May 6,700,000 [expctd]
Jun 6,300,000 [expctd]

Of ~18.7 mln doses [rec’d & expected] until Jun, ~78% are via purchase by govt

2 mln doses administered so far; >117,000 doses in 1day (27 Apr)

— Faisal Sultan (@fslsltn) April 28, 2021

Read: PM stresses equitable, timely delivery of Covid vaccines in phone call with Gates

It emerged that despite the federal government’s campaign to convince the people for being vaccinated against COVID-19, the nationals were not heading in large numbers for the vaccination.

The statistics have also shown that only 2 million vaccines were administered so far in the country as compared to the ratio of the available stocks of vaccines. In India, 130 million vaccines were given to its citizens, whereas, other countries have also expedited the process in order to immunise the citizens against the virus.

The health authorities have urged the citizens to show responsibility and come forward to get COVID-19 vaccines by following an easy process of registering themselves at the government’s helpline 1166.

Read: Pakistan to prepare CanSino vaccine locally from next month

It may be noted here that the health ministry has also opened the registration of people aged above 40 for the vaccines.

The Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab has also appreciated the federal government’s decision to reduce the age limit for the COVID-19 vaccination.

He was of the view that it is a positive development that came to his knowledge through Asad Umar’s tweet regarding 1.7 million people who have received the jabs. Murtaza Wahab added that easing the age restrictions have helped the federal government to increase the pace of COVID-19 vaccination.

Read: Pakistan sees record 201 COVID deaths in single day

He demanded the health authorities to completely lift the age restrictions for COVID-19 vaccination instead of waiting for the people who are not convinced to receive the vaccines.

Pakistan vaccinated a total of 117,852 people against Covid-19 the previous day, which is the highest number of doses administered in a day in the country.

“Daily vaccinations crossed 1 lakh in a day for the first time yesterday,” Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), wrote on Twitter.