ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi and First Lady Samina Alvi Monday got their anti-COVID vaccine on Monday. The former urged the nation to take precautions to make the country sail through the pandemic’s third wave.
The president and the first lady arrived at the vaccination centre at Tarlai after they received the intimation from the 1166 registration service, where the duo had registered themselves on February 15, this year.
Talking to the media, the president said the elite had been breaking the queue to get vaccinated across the world. Still, in Pakistan, the government had put an efficient mechanism for vaccination of the people on their turn.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan also accompanied the president and the first lady.
“I think the vaccine gives further protection, but we will have to take precautions of wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing unless the world fully overcomes the pandemic. Allah knows till how long we will have to do this,” he said.
Calling the COVID-19 a deadly disease, the president said it affected the elderly more than others, and we can only tackle it through precautions.
The president said he found the system very easy and viewed that calling the people in a scheduled manner had also avoided crowd at the centre. However, the government had sufficient stock of the medicine available.
He said the vaccination does not mean we abandon precautionary measures; instead, both need to be used side by side.
The president recalled that Imran Khan was the only leader who had resisted the call of blanket lockdown by all, including experts, but he went for a smart lockdown to avert the hunger-related deaths. The idea was later endorsed globally by many others, he added.
He said the country kept the mosques open, observed Eid festivals with precautions, and recognised the doctors’ sacrifices.
“Pakistan’s success is that… We fought the first wave, the second one, and it is also essential to fight the third wave. The precaution is direly needed. Keep wearing the mask. Pakistan will bring it under control,” he hoped.
