• Mobile teams will visit areas having few inoculated people
• Citizens advised to get second dose in four weeks

ISLAMABAD: With around a million people being inoculated on a daily basis, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has now decided to reach out to communities that have been continuously avoiding vaccination against Covid-19.

Pregnant and lactating women have been advised to get vaccinated as it is perfectly safe for them and their babies.

On the other hand, 40 people succumbed to coronavirus and 2,167 new patients were reported in a single day, showing a national positivity rate of 4.22 per cent.

Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating a community vaccination unit in Islamabad on Monday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan spoke about the efficiency of mobile vaccination teams.

“The health department has taken a revolutionary step to set up a community vaccination unit,” Dr Sultan said, adding that mobile teams would reach out to people and ensure they were inoculated.

“I urge citizens to get themselves vaccinated when teams arrive at their doorsteps or in the area,” the prime minister’s aide said, adding that the government was trying to make the federal capital a fully-vaccinated city and hoped to cover 100pc vaccine-eligible population.

“Mobile teams will approach people who do not want to leave their homes, cannot afford to visit vaccination centres or spare time from their work,” he said.

Dr Sultan said the concept behind mobile teams was to provide vaccination facility at people’s doorsteps.

He also praised the performance of District Health Officer Islamabad Dr Zaeem Zia.

Elaborating on the composition of the mobile vaccination team, the special assistant said it would comprise a doctor, vaccinator, female healthcare worker and driver.

“Once the cities are fully vaccinated, they (cities) will be allowed to return to normal life and people will be able to remove their masks,” he added.

Dr Sultan also advised citizens not to wait for more than four weeks after getting the first jab to receive their second dose, adding that the government had procured vaccines in the best interest of the people.

He also assured pregnant and lactating women that it was safe for them to get vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the NCOC data showed that there were 63,724 active cases on Sept 20 and 5,065 patients admitted to hospitals across the country.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2021