LAHORE: The Punjab government is all set to increase the number of centres across the province to vaccinate 80,000 people daily.

The facilities are being expanded in the light of the directions issued by the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) which has given the target to the Punjab government in order to bring a maximum number of people under vaccination coverage to control the virus.

The Punjab government is also starting vaccination of 40-49 age group people from Monday (tomorrow). The registration of this particular age group people has already been started.

It has also imposed smart lockdowns at 15 localities in the city due to rapid increase in the number of Covid cases. The lockdown was imposed in the areas of Gulberg, Garden Town, Shalimar Town, Model Town, DHA, Iqbal Town, Mustafa Town, Santnagar, Rajgarh, Islampura, Sanda and Shah Jamal.

Meanwhile, Covid claimed lives of 90 more critical patients during the last 24 hours in Punjab, taking the death toll to 8,500. Of them, most deaths have been reported from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan and Sialkot.

The total number of the infections reached 303,182 in Punjab after 2,068 more people tested positive for the virus during the last 24 hours.

“We are increasing the number of vaccination centres across the province to meet new target of vaccinating 80,000 people daily,” Punjab Health Minister Prof Dr Yasmin Rashid said. She said this while addressing a meeting at Civil Secretariat here on Saturday to review the emerging situation, initiative to increase vaccination centres and health facilities at public sector hospitals for the Covid patients.

Law Minister Raja Basharat joined the meeting via video link while senior member Board of Revenue, additional chief secretary and senior military and civil officials were present in the meeting besides Lahore division commissioner and secretary primary & secondary healthcare department.

“We are also going to ensure uninterrupted supply of oxygen in Punjab and are in complete coordination with private hospitals for treatment of corona patients,” the health minister said. She said that the compliance with SOPs was being ensured in cities having higher positivity ratio.

All institutions are working in collaboration for the control of the pandemic in Punjab. “Due to rising number of cases, we have made corresponding increase of facilities in public sector hospitals and vaccination staff is being doubled at vaccination centres to cope with increasing rush,” she said.

As per directions from the NCOC, the prime focus is gradual scale up of vaccination of people, she said.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2021