Daily Times

In 2020, efforts to eradicate polio were affected by the Covid-19 outbreak, when almost 40 million children in Pakistan did not receive polio vaccinations between April and June when all polio campaigns were suspended.

According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) 2020 Annual Report, said that however, vaccination campaigns resumed in the summer.

The office conducted a major midterm review of the country programme and assessed progress and challenges.Together, we reflected on our results framework and the best ways to accelerate results for children.

“Finally,we considered how Covid-19 has changed our priorities and the context in which we operate in Pakistan,” the report said.

We concluded that, in fact, the pandemic has only strengthened our close partnerships with government and United Nations counterparts and other partners.

In a report UNICEF said there were many valuable lessons to be learned from this unprecedented year, and innovations that could lay the foundation for the remainder of the country’s programme.

As 2021 dawns and countries begin to vaccinate their populations, we begin to see the first glimpses of a post-pandemic world. The polio campaigns provided 97.8 percent of 39 million targeted children with oral polio vaccination – a crucial step in the effort to eradicate polio worldwide. UNICEF procured 302 million doses of polio vaccine, which ensured 100 per cent vaccine availability for all campaigns, report said.