The COVID-19 vaccination drive has come to a halt in major cities of Punjab, including Lahore, due to a scarce vaccine supply from the federal government.
Several vaccine centers in Karachi have also been facing a similar situation. Due to limited stock, only those coming for a second dose are being facilitated in the port city.
Meanwhile, a large number of people in various inoculation centers in Lahore were sent back by security guards. They were told to return after a couple of days as the vaccination process had been stopped for two days due to a glitch in the NADRA system.
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A health official in Punjab told reporters that they expect to receive 20,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government. If the supply resumes, those coming to get vaccines will be facilitated, he said.
The situation in other parts of Punjab is also concerning, as according to sources, only three days’ stock is left in the other cities of the province. Besides Lahore, the vaccination process has also stopped in Bahawalpur and Faisalabad, while six divisions of Gujranwala are also out of the stock, they said.
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The sources added that the Punjab Health Department has demanded more vaccine stocks from the federal government.
On the other hand, Punjab Health Minister, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, has denied shortage rumors, saying that the problem occurs only when a large number of people turn to vaccine centers for a second dose.
“Our storage is near Manga from where supply is being sent,” she said, asking people either to wait or head to the vaccination centers near the warehouse.
