COVID-19: Parental consent not required to vaccinate schoolchildren over 12 years, says Sindh govt
October 29, 2021
- Parents’ consent not needed to vaccinate students above 12 years against COVID-19.
- Home department communicates directives to Sindh education department secretary.
- Sindh reported six deaths from coronavirus and 343 new infections a day ago.
The consent of parents is not required for the vaccination of students who are over 12 years old, according to the Sindh government.
These directives were communicated to the Sindh education department secretary by the home department in a letter under the following subject: 'Vaccination of all school-going children above the age of 12 years', The News reported Friday.
It has been sent to urgently convey the latest orders of the Sindh chief secretary to carry out COVID-19 vaccination of school-going children across the province.
“I am directed to refer to the subject noted above, and to communicate the directives of the worthy Sindh chief secretary that the vaccination of all school-going children above the age of 12 years is mandatory and no child is to be left unvaccinated, regardless of any consent or otherwise," the letter read.
"It is accordingly requested to inform all the field officers for necessary compliance with the above directives of the worthy Sindh chief secretary,” it concluded.
What is the current situation of coronavirus in Sindh?
A day earlier, Sindh reported six deaths from coronavirus and 343 new infections over a period of 24 hours. This pushed the death toll from COVID-19 to 7,563 in the province.
In a daily report issued by CM House, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the province's positivity rate stood at 3%.
The provincial government has so far conducted 6,374,344 tests, which have resulted in 468,140 positive cases, which means that 7.3% of those screened have been found to be infected, he added.
After the latest deaths, the rate of the diagnosed people who have lost their fight with COVID-19 stands at 2% in Sindh, he said, adding that 11,574 people across the province are currently infected: 11,330 are in self-quarantine at home, 25 at isolation centres and 219 at hospitals, while 218 patients are in critical condition, of whom 11 are on life support.
The CM said that out of the 343 fresh cases in Sindh, 62 (or 18.1%) have been reported from Karachi: 22 of the city’s new patients are from District East, 14 from District South, 12 from District Central, eight from District Korangi and six from District West.
As for the other districts of the province, Hyderabad reported 57 new cases, Naushero Feroze 26, Mirpurkhas and Thatta 20 each, Shaheed Benazirabad 18, Tando Muhammad Khan 17, Sujawal 16, Badin 10, Larkana nine, Sukkur eight, Dadu and Umerkot seven each, Ghotki six, and Jacobabad and Shikarpur four each, he added.
