THE resurgence of Covid-19 cases across the country and the subsequent decision by the NCOC to impose restrictions has highlighted once again how critical an effective vaccination strategy is to defeating the virus.
The directives include a two-week spring break in educational institutions in 10 cities as well as smart lockdowns. A 50pc-work-from-home policy has also been brought back. Though these decisions are much needed, they will disrupt both education and economic activity — sectors that have already suffered huge setbacks due to the pandemic. Worryingly, results from a recent survey suggest that Covid-19 cases in the country are far more widespread than what is being officially recorded. While official records say that Pakistan has seen about 500,000 cases, the survey suggests the real figure could be 15m. This should serve as a wake-up call for the authorities that must increase testing and strive to make the immunisation drive a success.
That doctors and healthcare workers have shown hesitation in getting vaccinated is a worrying sign. Aside from the resumption of normal life and commercial activities, one of the key positive consequences of the vaccine is that it will lower hospitalisations, as seen in Britain, and ease the burden on healthcare workers who have been hit hard during the pandemic. The reluctance among hospital staff points to a poor understanding of the vaccine and the triumph of conspiracy theories as well as fear-mongering — challenges that can to a great extent be addressed by a robust awareness campaign.
At the moment, a vibrant and large-scale public information campaign is absent. The authorities must realise that investment in this campaign is in the interest of stabilising both education and the economy. An effective campaign can include public figures, mobile units, television and print advertisements, virtual seminars and telemarketing tools to spread awareness, combat misinformation and strengthen trust. Building awareness and trust is key to a sustained uptake of vaccines during the pandemic. It has been repeatedly stressed by health experts that a successful vaccination programme depends on high coverage, preparation and an effective delivery strategy. While Pakistan has been able to procure the vaccine, the rollout remains a challenge given the huge government target of 70m people.
While there is hope on the horizon with the availability of the vaccine to those over 60 years, the management of the programme is undoubtedly a challenge. Authorities should ensure that the vaccine is available and that information reaches those living in low-income communities. Officials must also think of how to utilise resources well as demand for the vaccine grows in urban centres. If hospitals are unable to deal with the volume of visitors, an alternative can be considered in mobile teams and door-to-door immunisations. It is imperative that the government dedicate resources to the vaccination programme, and adopt a proactive approach to developing a communications strategy.
Another ‘encounter’
HOW many ‘encounter’ killings will there be before murderous law-enforcement personnel are brought to book? On Sunday, a Sindh University student, Mohammed Irfan Jatoi, was gunned down in Sukkur in an ostensible encounter with the cops, who described him as a “notorious dacoit” wanted in connection with several crimes. Except, Irfan’s friends and social media activists denounced this version as a pack of lies, claiming he had been taken away from the campus on Feb 10 by the police and remained in their custody until they killed him almost a month later. Following the public furore, IG Sindh Mushtaq Mahar ordered an inquiry. The investigation could bring to an end the impunity with which extrajudicial killings are committed in this country, especially in Sindh and Punjab, or it could turn out to be yet more lip service to the notion of accountability for trigger-happy law-enforcement officials.
The case bears striking similarities to one that caused a furore some three years ago — that of Naqeebullah Mehsud who was gunned down along with three other individuals in a deserted farmhouse in Karachi’s Malir district on Jan 13, 2018. The area police, led by then SSP Rao Anwar — also known as ‘encounter specialist’ — had claimed that the men were terrorists affiliated with the TTP and had been killed in an encounter. Naqeebullah’s friends and family vehemently denounced these claims on social media, saying that the young man was an aspiring model rather than a danger to society. A subsequent inquiry determined that none of the men even had a criminal record. It also emerged, through the police record itself, that Rao Anwar was involved in the killing of 444 people in so-called police encounters. What has happened since, however, demonstrates to a sickening degree how powerful connections place some people beyond the reach of the law. The trial of the now former SSP has been a farce, a grotesque perversion of the notion of justice and accountability in which witnesses have been intimidated into silence or have turned hostile. It is thus worth asking how genuine will be the inquiry ordered in the case of the Sindh university student, and if the findings show that he was indeed murdered in a staged encounter, whether the officials concerned will be held to account. There can be little hope of an improvement in the criminal justice system when cops themselves can get away with murder.
Fukushima anniversary
THURSDAY marked the 10th anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit the east coast of Japan, and the ensuing Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster. Close to 20,000 people were reported dead or missing after one of the most powerful quakes in recorded history, which caused a massive tsunami that overwhelmed the Fukushima nuclear power plant. There were sombre remembrances on the anniversary, led by the emperor and the prime minister of Japan, as the country mourned its dead. While families of the victims still grapple with their loss, there has also been worldwide debate on the safety of nuclear power plants, considering the immense damage caused by the disaster. The Fukushima tragedy was the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl incident in the erstwhile USSR. Painstaking work to dismantle the Japanese plant continues to this day; experts say it may take three to four decades to complete the job, while over a million tonnes of radioactive seawater are still stored in tanks.
If a technologically advanced and financially strong nation such as Japan has been struggling to deal with the after-effects of a nuclear disaster, then one can only imagine the state of preparedness of developing countries that use atomic energy. There are valid concerns about the safety of nuclear plants — specifically in case of natural disasters — with particular questions about the protection of populations living near such facilities. Around 30 states use nuclear power to produce energy and there should be a thorough debate globally, including within Pakistan, involving the governments, experts and civil society to discuss the pros and cons of atomic power. Although nuclear energy may be important to wean states off fossil fuels, especially in the face of rampant climate change, perhaps a better option would be to develop ‘green’ and hydroelectric energy resources to cut carbon emissions, while at the same time reducing the risk of nuclear disasters. In the short term, nuclear power producers would do well to ensure all safety protocols are in place.
