PESHAWAR: The health department detected 1,647 Covid-19 new cases and two deaths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday as officials hoped that paying Rs1,000 per day honorarium to vaccinators during the upcoming campaign would scale up immunisation and safeguard people against the virus.

The health workers would get incentive for the first time during 14-day vaccination campaign starting on February 1. Two persons died due to the pandemic in Peshawar, which reported 867 new cases, according to a report of health department.

Mardan recorded 289 new coronavirus cases, Mansehra reported 82 cases, Abbottabad 58, Swabi 56, Nowshera 52, Kohat 49, Bannu 39 Malakand 33, Chitral Lower 28, Swat 24, Dera Ismail Khan 23 and Khyber recorded 20 cases. The province has lost 5,958 persons to the virus while the infection tally is 194,186 of whom 177,451 (93pc) patients have recovered. Currently, the number of active cases is 10,737 in the province.

The report said that Covid-19 positivity was 40 per cent in Peshawar, 31pc in Mardan, 26pc in Kohat, 17pc in Dir Lower, 15pc in Malakand and 11pc in Nowshera.

KP records two deaths and 1,647 new cases

Health Secretary Mohammad Tahir Orakzai said that about 11,000 teams comprising 33,000 workers would be paid Rs14,000 each during the 14-day campaign to reach the unvaccinated inaccessible people. A total of 8 million people would be inoculated in 22 districts of the province with focus on hardcore refusals.

“The second phase of the campaign is planned in March wherein people getting first dose will receive second dose according to the record of the first phase. The district administration and district health officers will supervise the campaign to ensure vaccination at the level of union councils,” he said.

The health secretary said that vaccination was the only way to return to normal life and allow businesses, schools and other outlets to operate as restriction was no solution.

He said that 40 per cent people above 12 years in the province were fully immunised. He said that the target was to vaccinate 24.7 million people in the province. Each time has services of three persons including one social mobiliser to convince the people to get the jabs, he added.

Mr Orakzai said that vaccination blocked severity of the pandemic as numbers of deaths and hospitalisations were few as compared to the level of infection. “Therefore, we urge people to take advantage of the free vaccination services provided by the government,” he added.

Officials in health department said that giving shots to the reluctant persons had become a challenge despite availability of vaccine in all 1,074 centres, 34 mass vaccination centres and 78 mobile centres throughout the province. The department has set target of vaccinating 575,000 persons daily but it is able to provide jabs to about 72,000 people during the last 24 hours.

They said that health department didn’t want to propose to the district administration to impose restrictions but people should realise that the cost of full vaccination of one person ranged from Rs14,000 to Rs20,000 and the government was spending over Rs650 million to safeguard all the people. The province has conducted more than 4.135 million Covid-19 PCRs and the price of one test is Rs9, 000.

Sources said that health department might propose penalties for the people, who defied vaccination during the upcoming drive that included blocking their National Identity Cards, driving and arms licences, bank accounts, passports, mobile SIM cards and other official documents. It was important to vaccinate all people for their safety during the current wave and the sixth possible wave of the pandemic after it, they added.

They said that the campaign would give them an idea about the vaccination trend because giving incentives to the staff would also increase vaccination. Previously, the health workers weren’t paid additional amount but now they worked hard to get money in addition to their monthly salaries as government’s employees, they added.

Officials said that health department was persuading people for immunisation as well as adherence to social distancing, wearing face mask and hand hygiene. “If hesitancy against shots continues, there will be no way other than imposing penalties,” they added.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2022

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