LAHORE: As the Punjab government has decided to open schools from June 7, School Education Minister Murad Raas on Friday asked all teachers (of both government and private school) to get vaccinated before that date so that school opening could be made safe.

Talking to the media after inaugurating the first dedicated vaccination centre for teachers at the Government Pilot Higher Secondary School, Wahdat Road, the minister said the centre would inoculate teaching and non-teaching staff of public and private schools. He said there were 16,000 teachers and 4,000 non-teaching staff in Lahore.

“I request all teachers and non-teaching staff to get vaccinated before June 7 because we are going to open educational institutions by that date. The government will open similar vaccination centres in the nine divisional headquarters in order to inoculate the maximum number of teachers,” he said. The teachers, he said, would be required to bring their national identity cards and job certificate for vaccination at these centres.

“They will also get priority if they go to other centres established for the general public.” Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said the government was striving to vaccinate teachers and non-teaching staff because it did not want schools to be shut again because of teachers contracting the disease.

She said the first dose did not guarantee the production of antibodies and urged the citizens to follow all health precautions after getting their second dose. She said anyone could contract Covid even after getting vaccinated, but it would reduce severity of the disease and potentially prove to be life-saving.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2021