KARACHI, Feb 03 (APP):Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for providing anti-COVID-19 vaccine and said that COVID-19 vaccination drive would help to stop further transmission of the pandemic.
Addressing the launching ceremony of Sinopharm (anti-COVID-19) vaccine here at Dow University Hospital, Oja Campus on Wednesday, Murad said that we are very thankful to the Chinese government that finally provided the COVID19 vaccine.
Sindh Minister for Health Dr Azra Pechuho, Consul General of China in Karachi, Secretary Health Kazim Jatoi, VC Dow University Saeed Qureshi and other concerned were present on the occasion.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that Pakistan has received 5,00,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from the Chinese government. We, as a nation, are thankful to the Chinese government, he added.
He said that Sindh province has received 83,000 as the first dose for frontline healthcare workers; and the second dose for these 83,000 frontline healthcare workers would be received in the second week of February 2021.
The CM said that there were total 320,000 healthcare workers in the province; out of them 180,000 were frontline healthcare workers.
Therefore, we would have to arrange the doses accordingly, he said and added in the first phase, we were going to start a vaccination campaign in three major cities of Sindh, Karachi, Hyderabad and Shaheed Benazirabad due to high positivity rate of COVID-19 cases.
According to the chief minister, in first phase, Sindh has established 15 Adult Vaccination Centers in six divisions all over Sindh. “We will vaccinate all the frontline healthcare workers either they are from government hospitals or private hospitals,” Syed Murad Ali Shah said and added in later stage, the whole population would be vaccinated against the COVID-19 on government expenses.
The CM Sindh said that there was no doubt to be proud that the Sindh Government has always led in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic; and the credit went to our frontline healthcare workers. “Alhamdollillah, we have managed both waves of COVID-19, with minimum loss of lives and the economy,” he said and added that now, people have started coming back to normal lifestyle and schools have opened.
Health System has comparatively strengthened in the province, the CM said and added the infrastructure of hospitals has remarkably increased.
“At last, it is reiterated that the Pandemic has not yet gone, thus, It is our responsibility to follow the COVID19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), such as wear masks and maintain social distancing,” he said.
The chief minister along with minister health witnessed administration of the vaccine to two frontline workers and congratulated them to be the first ones in the province to have been vaccinated.
