Where is the vaccine?

The government’s confusing statements regarding the Covid-19 vaccine highlight its lack of seriousness regarding the vaccination programme. Previously, it has said that it would receive 1.2 million doses of the Chinese vaccine in March 2021. Now, the government is saying that it hasn’t placed an order yet . On the other hand, almost every country has made arrangements for procuring the vaccine. Bangladesh, for example, is all set to buy three million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Also, India will launch the largest campaign to offer shots to 1.3 billion people. Unfortunately, no serious efforts have been made by Pakistan to fight this pandemic. It is the responsibility of the federal government to prepare a programme with the collaboration of the provinces. However, the government hasn’t done anything commendable to deal with the pandemic in an appropriate manner. There will come a time when countries will only allow the people to enter if they have been vaccinated. The federal government needs to place the order in a timely manner to save the lives of the people.

Aftab Jamali

Larkana

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That the government hasn’t even placed orders for the vaccine is a bad sign. We were hoping that the vaccination programme will start from March 2020. Countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the UAE have taken timely steps to procure the vaccine. But, unfortunately, our country hasn’t even placed an order yet. The number of Covid-19 cases is increasing at a rapid pace.

The government has to take some steps to procure the vaccine in a timely manner. The lives of the people shouldn’t be put in danger. Also, the government should ensure that the people are following SOPs strictly if it wants to fight against the virus effectively.

Irfan Rasheed Baloch

Karachi