HYDERABAD: Commissioner Muhammad Abbas Baloch on Monday said new variant of COVID-19, Omicron was more dangerous than previous types of the virus, if timely preventive measures were not adopted there were fears of it’s fast spread.
While presiding separate meetings to review pace of COVID-19 vaccination and previous anti Polio campaigns, the Commissioner asked all the DCs of the division to create awareness among the people that the Corona epidemic has not been completely eradicated yet but its risks have increased during this season.
To avoid this epidemic, it is important to take precautions and use masks and sanitizers and ensure implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs), Commissioner stressed.
He also directed all the DCs to expedite the vaccination process in their districts while the process of vaccination of children above 12 years of age in schools and colleges should be completed as soon as possible.
The colleges administration were asked not to register unvaccinated students.
The Commissioner directed all DCs to ensure strict implementation of COVID-19 SOPs and hold meetings with the owners of marriage halls and asked them to ensure all participants to use masks and sanitizers while attending marriage ceremonies to avoid spread of the new variant of coronavirus.
He further directed that COVID-19 vaccination should also be ensured at hospitals, shrines, recreational places and transit points.
Commissioner also asked the relevant Assistant Commissioner to expedited vaccination process so that majority of the people could be vaccinated.
Though COVID-19 situation in the division is better but we should have to speed up the process of vaccination to save our people from the epidemic, Commissioner said and called on low performing districts to hear up the vaccination process to achieve desired results.
The Deputy Commissioners of different districts also briefed the Commissioner regarding steps taken to vaccinate people against coronavirus.
Later, a meeting was held under the chair of the Commissioner to review the performance of the previous anti-polio campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner said that all the districts of the division had performed better overall but there is still room for improvement.
He said that a letter would be sent to the Chief Secretary for the meritorious officers to award them certificates of appreciation while in this regard prizes would also be given for encouraging the staff working in the districts.
The Additional Commissioner Tahir Ali Memon while briefing the meeting about the statistics related to the performance of the last anti-polio campaign said that no case of polio was reported in the division in 2021 while environmental samples of Dadu and Hyderabad were also negative.
The meetings were attended by Additional Commissioner, DC Fuad Ghaffar Soomro, DHO Dr Lala Jaffar, representatives of UNICEF, WHO while DCs and DHOs of other districts participated the meeting via video link.