LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid says strict implementation of SOPs and mass vaccination of people has significantly interrupted the chain of coronavirus transmission.

Stating that the positivity rate in Lahore has decreased to 1.5 per cent, she said, the increase in the number of vaccinated people in next three to four months would help significantly reduce the number of Covid cases.

Speaking at a news conference, the minister said the government was currently using Sinopharm, Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Cansino vaccines. Sinopharm is now being administered to those wanting second dose. She said Sinovac was being administered at all vaccination centres and over 150,000 people were being vaccinated on a daily basis.

AstraZeneca was being used earlier but now Punjab has around 1.4 million doses available to inject second dose, she said. She said the Chinese vaccine was preferred due to delay and delivery issues related to COVAX and added that the Foreign Office was negotiating for the vaccination of overseas people. As per guidelines of the World Health Organization and the NCOC, she said, people below 40 were not administered AstraZeneca.

She said spreading rumours about coronavirus vaccine was an extremely irresponsible act. Even in large scale vaccine manufacturer like India, the situation was not under control.

Dr Rashid said Pakistan would start producing its vaccine in adequate quantity. In June, she said, Punjab would achieve the daily average of 250,000 to 300,000 and from July onwards over 400,000 people would be vaccinated on a daily basis. Punjab had vaccinated more than 3,500,000 people so far, she said.

ANTI-RABIES VACCINE: The health minister said the anti-rabies vaccine was earlier imported from China as there were only two main manufactures – China and India. She regretted that no previous government thought of manufacturing anti-rabies vaccine locally. Currently, she said, Pakistan was not importing the anti-rabies vaccine from anywhere and it’s being manufactured in the country.

She said Pakistan was producing the vaccine as per its requirement and largest order was given from Punjab. At every teaching hospital, DHQ and THQ hospital and in the offices of the CEOs health, she said, enough stock of vaccine was available.

Dr Rashid said the Punjab government would be spending around Rs100 billion to provide Sehat Sahulat cards to people of Punjab. So far, she said, 8.8 million families had been given the facility. Through this card, she said, insurance cover of up to Rs720,000 would be provided and in case of excess, further coverage of Rs300,000 be provided. By Dec 31 this year, she said all 29.3 million families would be provided health insurance coverage.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2021