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Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has directed authorities to in bid to ensure success of coronavirus vaccination drive
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday directed provincial authorities to withhold the salaries of government employees who are refusing to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.
Presiding over a meeting of the coronavirus task force, the chief minister reviewed the prevailing coronavirus situation and the updated vaccination statistics in the province. In a bid to overcome vaccine hesitancy, and encourage a return to normal, Shah directed authorities to block the pay of unvaccinated employees of the Sindh government, adding that this would only apply so long as they did not get vaccinated. The provincial finance ministry has been directed to ensure this measures is implemented in full.
Following the meeting, the Sindh Health Department announced that thus far 1,550,553 residents of the province had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine thus far, with 429,000 people having been fully vaccinated. It also informed the task force that 78,799 people had been administered vaccines in the previous 24 hours.
According to the National Command and Operation Center, 7.95 million Pakistanis nationwide have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine. Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan had earlier announced that the government aims to vaccinated 70 million by year’s end, noting this would cover 70% of the country’s eligible population and would help achieve herd immunity.
Pakistan this week commenced vaccinations for all adults aged 19-and-up, with citizens over 30 having the ability to walk-in to any designated vaccination center and secure the inoculations.