A Pakistani state has decided to block the phones of people who refuse Covid vaccines.
That was after Sindh state announced that it would take steps in July to withhold the salaries of civil servants who refuse to receive the Covid vaccine.
Reports say demand for Covid vaccine has slowed in Pakistan’s most populated province, Punjab.
Hamad Raza, a spokesman for the Punjab state health department, this was only as a suggestion initially but continued refusal to vaccinate by people lead to made the said decision.
He said it was up to the state telecommunications agency to decide how to implement these measures.
Misinformation about the Covid vaccine saying that it has been linked to infertility or death within two years, and the side effects have led to a reluctance for people to get vaccinated.
“The level of education in Pakistan is low. People are also spreading rumors and misinformation about the vaccine. ” Salman Haseeb, head of the Young Medical Association of Pakistan, says.
Pakistan’s third wave of infections has begun to erupt even after three weeks of tight restrictions.
Pakistan’s nationwide vaccination process has increased in recent weeks, with more than 200,000 doses being administered on most days.
Nearly 10.5 million doses have been given. It makes up only a small part of the population out of 220 million people who have been vaccinated.
Most of these vaccines are supplied by China.
Under the new incentives, vaccinators will be allowed to enter cinemas, celebration halls and places of worship. Restrictions on business have been lifted in districts where more than 20 percent of the population is protected.
More than 940,000 cases and 21,500 deaths have been reported in Pakistan. But because of limited testing facilities and the poor healthcare sector, many fear that the real situation of the epidemic will worsen.