LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid Monday stressed the use of face masks and urged the public to get vaccinated as cases of the Delta variant continued to rise.
Talking to a news channel, the minister urged the public to observe coronavirus protocols and show compassion towards the poor while celebrating the upcoming festival of Eidul Adha.
“People should follow government guidelines to protect themselves and their loved ones from a fourth wave of the pandemic,” she added.
“Wearing masks, maintaining social distance and other precautions could keep the people from suffering from another wave of Covid-19,” she highlighted.
Over 17 million people have been vaccinated against the contagion disease in Punjab so far and the provincial government is making efforts to vaccinate the rest as soon as possible, Rashid mentioned.
Responding to a query, the minister said in line with the guidelines issued by the National Command and Operations Centre to contain the spread of coronavirus during Eid holidays, Punjab was observing a special week until July 18 to implement the standard operating procedures.
It is very important to take precautions even after vaccination, she said, adding that the aim of the awareness week is to stop the spread of the virus on Eid.
She said in case of non-compliance, stricter measures would have to be taken against the violators.
To another question, she said the Punjab government had launched an ambitious awareness campaign through electronic, print and social media, and added that doubts about the efficacy and safety of the vaccines needed to be addressed by medical experts.
“The vaccination at a large scale would help us in curtailing the pandemic effectively,” she added.
