LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar says the Punjab government will procure one million corona vaccine doses worth Rs1.5 billion.

He was speaking at a press conference during a visit to the newly-established vaccination centre at the LDA Sport Complex near Minar-i-Pakistan which is the 127th such facility across the province.

Buzdar said this allocation was in addition to the jabs being provided by the federal government. So far 400,000 people have been vaccinated across the province.

Stating that the vaccination process was an integrated system of giving doses to selected cohort age group people, Buzdar said the Punjab government would be able to prepare its own priority list that would also include media persons being the front line workers.

Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid acknowledged that the rate of coronavirus infection among children was increasing as per report received from the Children’s Hospital on Thursday morning. However, she said, a majority of such children were recovering and returning to their homes. She said there was no evidence available yet about the vaccination of children.

Dr Rashid said the third vaccination centre would be established at the PKLI and the chief minister would inaugurate it on Monday.

She announced that the health department had arranged ambulances and would vaccinate the registered elderly and differently-abled people at their homes as and when they would call on helpline 1033.

The chief minister said coronavirus infection rate in seven cities was over 12 per cent and partial lockdown had already been imposed from Thursday (April 1). He said the demand for oxygen had increase by 7pc in the province.

About the restoration of local government system, the chief minister said the government was waiting for a detailed judgment of the Supreme Court. He said a committee had been constituted to look into the matters with regard to the restoration of local governments.

LPC DELEGATION: The chief minister has directed that all line departments including Board of Revenue, police, LDA and Wasa should speed up efforts to resolve Journalists Colony’s longstanding issues.

He issued these instructions in a meeting with the Lahore Press Club executive body delegation led by President Arshad Ansari at Chief Minister’s secretariat on Thursday.

He directed all the line departments to report the progress in the next meeting scheduled after seven days.

The chief minister said every citizen in Punjab would be given a health card by the end of this calendar year.

Meanwhile, the senior member Board of Revenue, the Lahore commissioner, CCPO, LDA DG, Wasa MD, principal secretary to the chief minister, secretary coordination to the CM and SACM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan held a meeting with the LPC delegation and vowed to launch work in the Journalists’ Colony at the earliest.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2021