Door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination drive planned for 5 cities of Punjab

• Punjab to start door-to-door vaccinations in five cities.
• Special campaign to be launched in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan and Rawalpindi from July 26.
• Two mobile teams to administer the vaccine in each Union Council.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to launch a door-to-door coronavirus vaccination campaign from July 26 in five cities of the province — Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan and Rawalpindi — to meet the targets set by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC).

The decision was taken in a meeting jointly chaired by Provincial Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid and the Punjab chief secretary at the Civil Secretariat on Saturday.

The minister told the meeting that the NCOC had set a target of vaccinating 40% of the population over 18 years of age in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Multan, and 70% of the Rawalpindi population by August 14.

She said that the number of vaccination centres in Lahore was being increased to facilitate more people.

Rashid said that vaccination and compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) was the only solution to ward off coronavirus.

Punjab Chief Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik directed the administration and the police to extend full cooperation to the Health Department teams during the special campaign.

He also issued instructions for vaccination camps to be set up in the vicinity of all teaching hospitals.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Sarah Aslam briefed the meeting that the department had prepared a "micro plan" for the special vaccination campaign and two mobile teams would work in each union council for door-to-door vaccination.

She said that 566 teams in Faisalabad, 224 in Gujranwala, 250 in Multan, 356 in Rawalpindi and 528 teams in Lahore would be formed to administer the vaccine at people's doorsteps.