Hospital Inflow In Pakistan At Its Peak Since The Beginning Of Pandemic

In recent news, the government of Pakistan has made it mandatory for all service members to get vaccinated. This decision was made shortly after a report was published indicating that the number of patients currently hospitalized is at its peak. 

Asad Umar, the Minister for Planning, who is also the Chief of National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the organization that represents the unified strategy of the government against the pandemic, stated that the Delta variant of the Indian origin is fueling the fourth wave of the pandemic in Pakistan, as it spreads at a quicker pace than all the other variants. 

The NCOC released some special guidelines, according to which, non-vaccinated individuals will not be permitted to render any services after the 15th of September. This rule was made under the Obligatory Regime for Vaccination, to help overcome the contagious disease. 

As per an official document published by the NCOC, the forum has come up with a phase-wise strategy to help lay emphasis on vaccination. The document further stresses upon how a high ratio of inoculation is vital to ensure that the Pandemic Exit Strategy of the government is successful. 

In addition, the document consists of a detailed strategy aimed at enforcing the Vaccination Obligatory Regime. The strategy pertains to a number of sectors and therefore, the document included their descriptions, as well as a cut-off date for complete and partial vaccination. It went on to state that no exemptions will be made in any of the mentioned sectors, should the criteria not be met by an individual related to the respective sector. 

Where air travel is concerned, both international and domestic inbound and outbound flights can only be boarded by people, if they have received at least a single dose of the vaccine. From the 30th of September, no unvaccinated individual will be permitted to get on a plane.

In addition, to contain the spread of the disease, shopping malls will be ensured for fully vaccinated by the 30th of September. Partially vaccinated were granted permission already on the 31st of August. A deadline was also set for the partial and complete inoculation of students aged 17 years on the 15th of September and 15th of October, respectively. 

Similarly, those looking to book hotels and guest houses will only be able to do so if they were partially vaccinated by the 31st of August and are fully inoculated by the 30th of September. Outdoor dining and dine-in at hotels, marriage halls, ceremonies, and restaurants, can only be availed by individuals who are fully vaccinated. 

Moreover, the last date for partial and full vaccination of the staff of buses, coasters, trains, vans, and home delivery services was set as September 15th and October 15th, respectively. The NCOC went on to provide a methodology of implementation for all federating units. It is to be commenced with a soft launch of the regime. However, the document specified that the launch of the obligatory vaccination regime would be in a number of phases.