While debating the spread of the new coronavirus variant Omicron around the world, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) approved a booster shot of Covid-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers, immunocompromised persons, and those over 50 years old on Wednesday (1st December).
Although the NCOC’s announcement did not specify which Covid-19 vaccine would be given as booster doses, it did, however, declare that the shots would be free and given six months after the previous dose.
The forum studied epidemic curve chart data for Pakistan, the national immunization plan, and disease prevalence across the country during its meeting today. Furthermore, the meeting also looks at the residents of cities and their progress in vaccinating themselves against Covid-19.
The forum emphasized that the Omicron strain was rapidly spreading over the world and that vaccination was the only way to guard against it.
Following this, the NCOC resolved to take harsh measures to enforce the “obligatory vaccination regime” beginning December 1 (today) and urged provinces and agencies to follow a zero-tolerance approach in its implementation.
According to the forum, 40 call centers have been established across the country to contact those who have not yet gotten their second dose. In the future, the number of call centers will be raised.
During the conference, provincial health ministers and chief secretaries presented plans to enhance the vaccine campaign, improve testing numbers, and develop call centers. As per the statement, “All provinces will start vaccination outreach campaigns immediately to [achieve] the vaccination targets.”
During the conference, provincial leaders emphasized the importance of focusing on the Omicron variety and taking the necessary steps at airports to check for vaccination status and conduct traveler testing.
Sindh issues new guidelines
In light of the threat posed by Omicron, the Sindh government released new recommendations a day earlier to reduce Covid-19 transmission. The new guidelines will be in effect across the province from December 1 to December 15.
According to the announcement, Karachi Division, Sukkur, and Sanghar were classified as having “excellent vaccination progress,” while the remaining cities/divisions were classified as having “poor vaccination progress.”
Restrictions imposed by the Sindh government in light of Covid-19:
- Vaccinated people only are allowed to attend indoor and outdoor gatherings. Indoor events in Karachi, Sukkur, and Sanghar are limited to 500 people, while outdoor events are limited to 1,000. For the rest of the province, the inside capacity is 300 persons and the outdoor capacity is 1,000.
- Vaccinated people are allowed to dine indoors until 11:59 p.m., with 70 percent occupancy in Karachi, Sukkur, and Sanghar and 50 percent in the remainder of the province.
- Markets and companies can stay open until 10 p.m., while critical services can be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Markets and companies can stay open until 10 p.m., while critical services can be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- 100pc attendance at offices with routine timings.
The inevitable arrival of Omicron
Asad Umar, Pakistan’s Planning Minister and head of the NCOC, warned on Monday that the Omicron strain will certainly reach Pakistan and that the government only has a few weeks to deal with the threat.
The minister said, “This [strain] has to spread in the whole world as we saw before that when a variant comes, the world is so interconnected that it is impossible to stop it.”
He claimed the government had received preliminary evidence that, while Omicron was a “very deadly” type, vaccination would be successful against it.
