In the latest episode of Sindh government versus the federal government, the provincial Parliamentary Secretary on Health, Qasim Soomro, has claimed that Sindh does not require NCOC’s approval to vaccinate its students of 9-12 classes.
Speaking to the media, Sindh’s Parliamentary Health Secretary said that just like the provincial government didn’t seek NCOC’s approval to vaccinate citizens without CNICs and inmates in all prisons, it doesn’t require NCOC’s approval this time as well.
All students of classes 9 to 12, regardless of their age, will be vaccinated against COVID-19 within the premises of their schools and colleges by specialized teams of the provincial Health Ministry.
The provincial Parliamentary Health Secretary added that students will be administered both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine during the immunization drive that will kick off next week.
Earlier this week, Sindh’s Education and Health Ministries jointly announced that over 1.4 million students of classes 9-12 would be vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent them and their family members from contracting the viral infection.
However, NCOC and Federal Health Ministry criticized Sindh and argued that provinces cannot take such decisions unilaterally. In an official statement, the Health Ministry said the decision to vaccinate a particular age group should be unanimous and in consultation with all the federating units.
