Punjab launches coronavirus vaccines campaign

LAHORE: Following in the footsteps of the federal government, the Punjab government on Wednesday began vaccinating the frontline health warriors against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the presence of Chief Minister

Sardar Usman Buzdar and Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar at Punjab House, Islamabad.

With the launching of the province wide campaign, the healthcare workers (HCWs) Dr Faraz of Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Dr Samavia Akbar became the first from Punjab to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the province, the virus has claimed 4,806 lives and infected 158,783 people while overall 11,772 deaths occurred in the country besides over half a million infections.

In the second phase of the coronavirus vaccine senior citizens will be given the jab during the two month long campaign.

On the occasion, the chief minister Punjab said free of cost coronavirus vaccine would be inoculated to the citizens in Punjab, adding that Punjab had received 70,000 vaccine doses and 189 centers had been established in the province.

Usman Buzdar said over 600 officials had been provided technical training in this regard while master trainers

would equip more staff with the training to administer jabs of the vaccine.

He said 2500 Ice-line refrigerators had been arranged in 36 districts to keep the vaccines safe as per the guidelines, adding that China had stood by Pakistan in every hour of need and the gift of 0.5 million vaccine was a proof of this friendship.

The CM Punjab said Pakistani would always remembered this good-will gesture of the people of

China, adding that Pakistan was thankful to China.

Urging the need to adopt precautionary measures against the virus, he said Punjab was far ahead of the other provinces in contact tracing, adding that the world had acknowledged Pakistan's efforts to contain corovirus pandemic.

He said Punjab had allocated a sum of one billion rupees for the purchase of coronavirus vaccine, adding the province will get more vaccine doses in the next three weeks.

Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar hailed HCWs for their heroic role to ward off coronavirus threat to human lives, adding that health workers were our heroes.

Sarwar said the Punjab government had commendably completed all arrangements to inoculation of vaccine.