ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid Thursday said taking two doses of the vaccine is important and people should remember that a single jab will not provide sufficient immunity to the coronavirus.
Speaking to a news channel, Hamid said Pakistan has achieved a target of 10 millionth vaccine doses on Wednesday and aimed to inoculate 70 million people by year-end.
She said Pakistan has received the first batch of Pfizer vaccine under the COVAX facility which would be prioritised administering coronavirus vaccines to chronic and transplanted patients to build their immunity fast.
Hamid said public trust in the vaccine was increasing every day.
She added that a walk-in vaccination facility for all people above 18 would start from Friday and the government was opening up registrations for more age groups as the vaccine supply continues to improve.
The government, she said, is now prioritising booster shots for the elderly and those with chronic diseases as part of its vaccination efforts.
“Therefore, we call on everyone to get vaccinated and support the national recovery efforts,” she added.
In response to a query, Hamid made it clear that the National Command and Operation Centre had announced that vaccines will be mandatory for all public and private sector officials, adding that government staffers must be fully vaccinated by end of this month.
