Govt working on making Islamabad 100% vaccinated city: Dr Faisal Sultan

• SAPM says establishing community vaccination unit is a revolutionary step by the health department.
• Says mobile vaccination teams reach out to people and ensure vaccinating them.
• He urges people to ensure getting vaccinated when the teams reach them.

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said Monday that the government is trying to make Islamabad a fully vaccinated city.

The SAPM was briefing the media about the efficiency of mobile vaccination teams after inaugurating the community vaccination centre in the federal capital.

"We are working on making Islamabad a 100% vaccinated city where every citizen and resident is fully vaccinated," said Dr Sultan.

The SAPM said that to accomplish this goal, the government needs to bring the mobile vaccination teams into optimum utilisation because there are some people who don’t want to get out or it's not easy to reach them.

He said there are poor people or people who do not have enough resources that they can afford to take some time off from work to go and get vaccinated.

“Under these circumstances, instead of waiting for them to come and get vaccinated, we take the vaccination facility to them," said Dr Sultan.

He said that establishing a community vaccination unit is a revolutionary step by the heath department.

While giving details of the mobile vaccination teams, the PM's aide said that it would be a four-member team, including a driver.

"There is a person who vaccinates, a doctor, and a female health worker for the facilitation of people according to their requirements and answer their question," said Dr Sultan.

According to Dr Sultan, the benefit of mobile vaccination teams is that they will help in fully vaccinating the city which will make the contagion difficult to spread.

"Once that goal is accomplished, we will be able to say that we can get rid of wearing face masks and other restrictions," he said and appealed to people to get vaccinated as soon as possible. 

"Firstly, the vaccine itself is effective and secondly the government has procured it for the people," said Dr Sultan, adding that people who have taken the first dose must get the second one without any delay.

He particularly advised that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should get vaccinated too and assured that the vaccine is totally safe for them.

Speaking about a possible dengue outbreak in Islamabad, he said that people shouldn’t let the rainwater be collected at any spot as it serves as a breeding ground for mosquitos.