For senior citizens

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said, on February 4, that the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine for Covid-19, which is currently being administered in Pakistan, is not recommended for people older than 60 years. He added that the government would offer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is suitable for all ages, to senior citizens. Following this announcement, even doctors who were over sixty years were denied the Chinese vaccine. A case in point is that of a senior doctor, who is also the vice chancellor of Jinnah Sindh Medical University, who was not allowed to take the Chinese vaccine because of his age – he is over 60.

Now, on February 10, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who is also the chief of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), asked senior citizens to get themselves registered for the next phase of the Covid-19 vaccination programme – that will commence from March – and didn’t mention the name of the vaccine. Senior citizens are confused and waiting for the government’s confirmation. They need to know whether the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be available for senior citizens. The government needs to provide a clear reply. It should also explain the entire registration process to the people.

Hussain Siddiqui

Islamabad