Sindh to close vaccination centres Sunday due to shortage; decides to reopen primary schools

• Sindh eases COVID-19 restrictions amid decline in cases.
• Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah urges people to follow SOPs.
• Sindh to start getting vaccine supplies from next week.

KARACHI: The Sindh government has allowed in-person learning in primary schools from June 21 and further eased restrictions after reviewing the COVID-19 situation.

This was decided in a meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Corona, chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah while provincial ministers Saeed Ghani, Azra Pechuho and Murtaza Wahab also attended, among other senior government officials and health experts.

The committee was briefed on the pandemic situation and the shortage of vaccine across the country, which has gotten serious in the last few days.

The meeting was told that so far 3,243,988 doses of vaccines have been received. Of them, 2,873,857 were utilized and only 370,141 were left. 

CM Shah, keeping in view the available stock of the vaccine doses, decided to close all vaccination centres only on this Sunday (June 20). 

The meeting was also informed about the vaccines which will be provided to Sindh.

According to details, 1.5 million doses of Sinovac will be received on June 21, 700,000 doses of Cansino vaccine on June 23, 400,000 doses of PakVac on June 23 while the Russian Sputnik V vaccine will be available in the last week of the current month or in the first week of July.

The chief minister was briefed that the COVID-19 positivity ratio is coming down in the province and the current rate is 3.9%. However, it was shared with concern that the situation in Karachi (8.8%) and Hyderabad (4.3%) is still not good.

"The situation will continue to improve when people follow the SOPs," CM Murad said.

It was also decided to reopen shrines, amusement parks, swimming pools and indoor gyms from June 28.