Over 7.9m Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in country: Farrukh Habib

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib Friday said more than 7.9 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines had been administered in the country due to extensive efforts of the federal government.

Responding to ?undue? criticism of Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on policy responses of the federal government to Covid-19, he said the oxygen production capacity was also scaled up to ensure effective fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

?Per day production of oxygen has risen to 800 metric tonnes from 400 metric tonnes,? he added in a statement. Among other initiatives, Farrukh Habib said the daily testing capacity for Covid-19 was increased to 50,000. He asked Bilawal to highlight the Covid-response of his party’s Sindh government instead of criticizing the federal government, which had been praised by the international institutions, including the World Health Organization for its overall strategy, including smart-lockdown to contain the pandemic.

Bilawal, he said, should share the details as to how much coronavirus vaccine was procured by the PPP government for the people of Sindh.?Bilawal should inform the public that how many initiatives have been taken by the Sindh government to contain the coronavirus.

He said the PPP leader should explain as to where Rs5 billion allocated by the Sindh government for the Covid-response was spent.

He asked the PPP chairman to share details of the utilization of Rs1,600 billion given by the federal government to Sindh under the National Finance Commission Award.

The minister said Bilawal should be grateful to Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had ensured distribution of 35 per cent of total disbursement under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme among the people of Sindh. He urged the PPP chairman to change his advisers who were telling him lies instead of truth.