Islamabad, March 26, (dpa/GNA) – A Pakistani minister has warned health workers to get vaccinated against
Covid-19 or risk unemployment, as the country witnesses a steady increase of new daily infections amid a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
“You can lose [your] job if you did not get vaccinated,” said Azra Pechuho, Minister for Health in the southern province of Sindh in a video message on Thursday.
At least 33,356 health care workers out of a registered 142,315 in the province have not received to be vaccinated, she said.
Pakistan is using the Sinopharm vaccine, a gift from China. But its people have given a lukewarm response to the vaccination drive.
A survey conducted at the start of the year revealed around half of all citizens are skeptical of the vaccines and would not go for a jab.
“Health care workers were reluctant due to doubts created by government’s decision of not vaccinating people above 60 in initial days,” Qaiser Sajjad, secretary general for the Pakistan Medical Association, told dpa on Friday.
But he said the government now deems the vaccine safe and is asking all citizens and front line health care workers to get vaccinated.
The province of Sindh has been hit hard by Covid-19, reporting more than 264,000 coronavirus cases, the highest in the country.
On Friday, 4,368 new infections and 63 related deaths were reported by the Health Ministry. Pakistan has so far recorded 645,356 cases and 14,091 deaths in total.
GNA