Over 52,000 frontline workers vaccinated so far: Dr Faisal

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said Thursday that more than 52,000 frontline healthcare workers have received the coronavirus vaccine in Pakistan. The prime minister's aide, addressing a press conference in Islamabad, said that the government considers the frontline healthcare workers as "ideals" - and it proves the vaccine's efficacy and their trust in it.

Speaking about the procedural changes made in registering for the vaccine, he said that if a frontline healthcare worker is less than 60year-old, then they will now only have to send their CNIC number without dashes - at 1666 and visit their nearest vaccination centre. The list is available on the National Command and Control Centre's website. For the second vaccination phase, he said that the government had announced on February 15 that people above 65-years of age should start registering themselves for the vaccine. The procedure is the same, send their CNIC number - without dashes - at 1666. "You will get further information from the message you receive." The second phase, he said, would start from March.

The special assistant said that the government had chosen the people over 65 years as the deaths that had occurred due to COVID-19 in Pakistan, a chunk of those were of the people above 65 years of age.

He urged people above 65 years to get themselves registered for the vaccine as they were "an important part of the society".

The special assistant said that the vaccine that is being used to inoculate the frontline healthcare workers is Sinopharm, and "we recommended that it should not be used for people above 60 years." "It does not mean that this vaccine is not safe or is not effective," he said, adding that the people who partook in the vaccine's trials were not substantial, therefore, Pakistani medical experts advised that it should be used when enough data for people above 60 is available.

Moreover, he said that people above 60-years of age would receive the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine that Pakistan will be given through the COVAX facility.

The special assistant said that till March, Pakistan would receive 2.8 million doses of vaccine. "This is a positive development as we will be able to kick start our second phase."

He said that the World Health Organisation had approved it and that nearly 35 countries were using it, including the United Kingdom. "It is a safe vaccine." From February 22, the general healthcare workers would be able to register themselves through a website, and they will be able to receive the vaccine at their respective vaccination centre.