KARACHI: The Provincial Extended Program of Immunization (EPI) under the supervision of the Sindh Health Department and in collaboration with the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) is going to launch door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Sindh. Officials said on Thursday to increase vaccination coverage from February 1 to February 14.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still prevalent with the emergence of new forms, while the rapid spread of the virus during the past few weeks requires prompt immunization activities to boost the immunity of the population.
The campaign aims to provide the first dose of vaccine to 12,748,123 people over the age of 12, while another 5,712,014 will receive the second dose, bringing a total of 18,460,137 people to be vaccinated.
EPI Sindh intends to deploy 10,988 skilled persons and social workers across the province to reach out to the masses with the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and they will be monitored by 1,134 UCMOs.
The vaccines available for this campaign include 180,495 doses of Sputnik, 354,652 doses of Moderna, 2,201,759 doses of Pfizer, 676,641 doses of Sinopharm, 2,131,573 doses of Sinovac and 474,875 doses of Atrazeneca.
This campaign is the need of the hour as 51,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Sindh during the last 30 days. Vaccines will help protect citizens from the virus and serious illness. Currently, 37 percent of Sindh's eligible population, 13.907 million citizens, have been fully vaccinated, while another 18.810 million have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccines.