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Covid vaccination rate low in Pakistan due to negative publicity, vaccine shortage ANI | Updated: May 12, 2021 19:55 IST
Islamabad [Pakistan] May 12, (ANI): Pakistan has been able to vaccinate only 0.8% of its total population so far and experts said the reason for this low rate are negative publicity and a shortage of vaccines, DW reported.
Experts said Pakistan s vaccination drive is moving at a very slow pace. As of May 6, Pakistan had vaccinated 3.32 million people or just 0.8% of its population of 216 million. The percentage of vaccinations per 100 people also stands at just 1.53%, against the global average of 16.44%, DW news reported.
Both the federal and provincial governments have set up hundreds of vaccination centres. However, experts say that a combination of limited vaccine availability and widespread hesitancy due to negative publicity have contributed to the low number of inoculations relative to the population.
Negative publicity causes low vaccination in Pakistan
13 May 2021, 01:03 GMT+10
Islamabad [Pakistan] May 12, (ANI): Pakistan has been able to vaccinate only 0.8% of its total population so far and experts said the reason for this low rate are negative publicity and a shortage of vaccines, DW reported.
Experts said Pakistan s vaccination drive is moving at a very slow pace. As of May 6, Pakistan had vaccinated 3.32 million people or just 0.8% of its population of 216 million. The percentage of vaccinations per 100 people also stands at just 1.53%, against the global average of 16.44%, DW news reported.
Both the federal and provincial governments have set up hundreds of vaccination centres. However, experts say that a combination of limited vaccine availability and widespread hesitancy due to negative publicity have contributed to the low number of inoculations relative to the population.
Anti-vaxxers pose major public health threat
Meanwhile, the Brazilian, South African and UK variants could quickly plunge the country into a deeper health crisis, he said.
Dr. Ashraf Nizami, a Lahore-based medical expert, said that the government did not do enough to counter the negative media that is attracting the attention of millions on social media. Both Nizami and Shoro believe that rumors about side effects of the vaccines, especially regarding the AstraZeneca inoculation, are contributing to widespread hesitancy.
Muhammad Iqbal Khan Afridi, a parliamentarian from the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf party, echoed those beliefs. Out of 35 family members, he said he was the only one to get the vaccination so far. Afridi added that influential clerics are also using mosques to spread negative messages about the vaccine.
Health practitioners suggested that the government should go for complete lockdown in major cities of Pakistan which were reporting more than eight per cent infectivity rate. AFP/File
LAHORE: The representatives of various medical and health organisations have blasted the government for delayed response towards third Covid spike and slow vaccination process and suggested it to immediately impose a complete lockdown in the cities reporting the highest infectivity ratio.
The senior office-bearers of the Pakistan Medical Association, the Paramedics Association, the Young Doctors Association Punjab and the Lady Health Workers Association briefed the media on the Covid situation, insufficient healthcare arrangements and government’s inability to handle the third peak of the virus.