Azra meets steering committee on COVID-19 vaccines

KARACHI: Azra Fazal Pechuho, Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Sindh, met with the steering committee on covid-19 vaccines being administered to children aged between 5 -11 years. 

The meeting was also attended by Zulfiqar Shah, Secretary Health,  Qasim Siraj Soomro, Parliamentary Secretary Health, Dr Sara Salman, World Health Organisation representative, Dr Irshad Memon, Head of EPI, Sindh, and others. 

They were informed about the strategy to administer pediatric vaccine doses for covid among children aged 5 to 11 years. The campaign will begin on the 19th of September and go on till the 24th of September, 2022. 

The meetings of all sub-committees at provincial and district levels are ongoing, and a provincial steering committee on the plan of action for the campaign will be held twice a month. The district-level Micro-Planning and Operational Workshops, as well as training, will be conducted from the 25th till the 31st of August. 

The provincial monitors will be visiting sites to verify HR, Vaccines, Recording reporting tools, IEC Material, etc., from the 25th of August till the 3rd of September. Doctors will also be oriented on AEFI management for the pediatric covid vaccine on the 12th of September and the communication material will be provided to the districts on the 8th of September. 

The Covid morbidity and mortality in the 5-11 years demographic have been identified in 8 high prevalence districts that have been monitored from March 2020 to August 2022. These districts are namely Karachi Central, East, Korangi, Malir, Karachi South, West, Kemari, and Hyderabad. To cover 70% of the children in these high prevalence districts, 3,413,884 pediatric doses of the covid vaccine will be administered in phases. The first million doses will be administered in Karachi. 

The technical assistants at the sites of the vaccine administration will record the name, age, gender, and Form-B ID of the inoculated child, as well as the CNIC and contact number of the parent/guardian accompanying the child. 

Azra Fazal Pechuho said that aside from schools, marketplaces and parks should be aimed at ensuring the most number of children get the first dose of the pediatric covid vaccine.