China has set an example for the whole world to defeat Covid-19: Punjab Health Minister
Gwadar Pro
Lahore: Punjab Provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said this week that China has set an example for the whole world to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chairing a meeting here on Covid-19, the Provincial Health Minister said Pakistan had also done well to cope with the Covid-19. Punjab Chief Secretary Jawwad Rafique also attended the meeting.
She said Pakistan should follow China on eliminating the Covid-19. “China has set an example for the whole world. They have defeated the pandemic with determination and commitment,” she said.
The minister said, in the light of the guidelines of the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), the Punjab government had decided to strictly enforce restrictions in 15 high-risk districts to contain the spread of coronavirus. The directions to all the divisional commissioners and regional police officers (RPOs) had been issued in this regard, she added.
Dr Yasmin Rashid said new restrictions had been imposed in 15 high-risk districts of Punjab in the light of the NCOC guidelines. These districts include Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Khanewal, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Sheikhupura, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Rahim Yar Khan, Gujrat, Sialkot and Bhakkar.
The meeting reviewed the coronavirus pandemic situation, health facilities for patients and vaccination targets.
Dr Yasmin Rashid said that implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) was essential to curb the spread of coronavirus.
She opined that the next 15 to 20 days were crucial in controlling the fourth wave of the pandemic.
The minister said that 88 percent of coronavirus patients admitted to hospitals were unvaccinated, adding that the spread of the virus could be prevented only through vaccination and precautionary measures.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Jawwad Rafique said that in the light of the decisions of the NCOC, the restrictions had been tightened in the high-risk cities.
He said that protection of health and lives of the people was of utmost importance to the government and action should be taken against those who were not wearing masks and maintaining social distance at public places.
The Chief Secretary lauded the Health department and administrative officers for successfully achieving the vaccination targets.
He said that implementation of SOPs in the markets was the responsibility of the traders’ organizations and in case of any violation, the shops should be sealed.
He also issued instructions regarding sending the home department the reports about the actions taken over SOPs’ violations.
The meeting was briefed that the vaccination process was going on successfully in the province and an average of 764,000 people were being vaccinated daily. The door-to-door vaccination campaign was underway in eight districts and revised targets have been fixed for them for the month of September.
The secretaries of Health department, commissioner Lahore and officers concerned while all the divisional commissioners and senior police officers also participated in the meeting.
