Vaccination milestone

With fifty percent of the country’s eligible population vaccinated against Covid-19 with at least one dose, Pakistan has achieved an important milestone on the battle against the pandemic. That this target was achieved the day after 1.7 million vaccine doses were administered across the country makes it all the more commendable. After a terrible start to the vaccination drive that was riddled with supply chain issues, administrative problems including theft and influential people successfully jumping the queue, federal and provincial governments were able to structure the effort in a way that the problems were soon addressed. Securing an ample and steady supply of the vaccine was crucial and countries like China were able to help in this regard, while our timely application and acceptance into the World Health Organization’s Covax programme kicked in at the right time to ensure availability of various vaccines. The second challenge was to set up as many vaccination centres as possible, which is where the conversion of large unutilized publicly owned installations such as large halls proved crucial while public and private hospitals, diagnostic centres and other medical complexes provided necessary support as well. Keeping these vaccination centres running around the clock made the process more efficient and safer as these spaces, apart from some exceptions, would not get crowded.

It seems the government has realized that the only way to reach some semblance of normalcy where the economy can become fully functional and the population can feel safer as they get on with their lives, is to vaccinate enough people and reach that crucial herd immunity threshold of 70-80 percent. That the science on the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing the virus from making inoculated patients too sick is definitive and encouraging, making vaccination the first line of defense against the pandemic. In addition to making certain privileges conditional upon receiving at least one dose of the vaccine, a massive outreach program must be undertaken to combat the plethora of misinformation about the vaccine out there. Covid-19 is here to stay and it is as much the responsibility of the government as of the citizenry to make sure each and every resident of the country gets the shot.