LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said on Monday that corona vaccination drive is starting from Wednesday for which 189 health vaccination centers have been established across the province.

Talking to media persons, she said that nationwide vaccination drive will begin from Wednesday and 17 million more jabs will soon arrive in the country. She said that the coronavirus vaccine will be administered to frontline health workers in phase one which will be followed by vaccination for the elderly over 65 years of age.

Dr Yasmin emphasized that coronavirus pandemic is not over and the people need to strictly follow coronavirus-related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to keep the virus under control. She warned the side effects of the coronavirus vaccines and advised the people to vaccinate against COVID-19 at their own risk. “It is not so far possible to say for sure how long the coronavirus vaccine remains effective,” she said. “No one, not even COVID-19 patients, will be vaccinated by force.”

She added that research on the treatment of coronavirus pandemic is still going on all around the world; we will make the public aware of the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. “There have been deaths due to the COVID-19 vaccine in some countries as well; therefore, everyone will be vaccinated at their own risk,” she said.

Dr Rashid said that threat of coronavirus persists and Lahore has lockdowns in 18 neighborhoods at present, however, the number of infected patients was gradually declining. To a query, she claimed that contact-tracing in her province was on a higher scale and better than the other provinces.

She said that health workers in both private and public hospitals would be given free COVID-19 vaccines. A vast portion of the population would be successfully vaccinated in the next four to five months, she noted. Dr Rashid maintained that new medical equipment worth Rs10 billion had been procured for public hospitals and the ‘universal health’ coverage plan would be completed by the end of the year.

Referring to the controversies due to which students launched country-wide protests last month, she said, “Seats for medical students have not been reduced for any province, including Sindh and in this regard, false propaganda is being spread about reduction in the number of seats in medical colleges.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021