ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of people staged a protest and created law and order situation at F-9 Park vaccination centre over shortage of Pfizer and Astrazeneca vaccines on Monday.

Officials of the capital administration said that about 3,000 people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reached the centre to get the shots of Pfizer and Astrazeneca vaccines which are mandatory for entry in Saudi Arabia.

The staff at the centre could only cater to the residents of Islamabad, the officials said. The huge crowd reached the centre at a time when there were already a good number of residents waiting for vaccination, making it impossible for the management to accommodate those from KP.

People intending to travel abroad demand Pfizer jabs

Leaving with no other option, the staff closed the doors of the centre and stopped working. As a result, the people got annoyed and broke the glass doors of the centre and swarmed into the building. The staff then called the police who brought the situation under control.

In the afternoon, Pfizer and Astrazeneca were delivered at the centre which were administered to them, they added.

The officials questioned how a large number of people entered Islamabad without any check and reached the centre and created law and order situation.

It was a failure of the police to check the entry and movement of the crowd in the capital, they added.

The issue was also brought into the knowledge of senior police officers to take necessary steps to avoid such incidents in future, they added.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat told Dawn that some elements, acting as touts, had brought the people from KP as Pfizer and Astrazeneca vaccines were not available in their native areas. Majority of them are working in Dubai and have come from Dir, he added.

However, vaccines were arranged and they all were vaccinated against Covid-19, he added.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Babar Sahibdin added that vaccines were distributed as per requirement among provinces and the capital city. So far the capital has received 100,000 vials of Pfizer, he added.

A new supply of Astrazeneca will be arranged for the capital city in the first week of July, he said, adding both the vaccines needed cold chain management and maintenance and due to the extra care the two vaccines were not available in all the districts.

Those who had come to the centre on Monday were from different districts of KP where the two vaccines are not available, Mr Sahibdin said, adding they were working in Saudi Arabia which accepts only Pfizer and Astrazeneca to enter the country.

The second dose of Pfizer is given after a gap of two weeks and Astrazeneca after eight weeks, the ADC said.

However, people can travel to Saudi Arabia after getting the first dose of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, 31 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the capital on Monday.

Officials said in the last 24 hours, 3,180 tests were conducted and 17 males and 14 females were found infected with the positivity rate of 0.97pc.

Eleven cases were reported in the age group of 20-29 followed by six in 30-39, four in 40-49, three in 10-19, two each on 0-9, 60-69 and 70-79 and one in 50-59.

Likewise, five cases were reported from I-8, four from Bhara Kahu, Tarlai, Model Town, two each from Loi Bher, F-6 and one each from G-10, G-11, G-7, F-11 and Chirrah.

On Monday, 25 patients recovered in the capital, the officials said.

The capital has 935 active cases and 47 of them are admitted in hospitals. As many as 42 patients are on oxygen and five on ventilators.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2021