Two More Pakistani Journalists Fell Prey to Coronavirus
According to a report, more than 600 media workers have succumbed to the pathogen globally
Pakistani journalists continue to fall prey to coronavirus but the government remains adamant to identify them as frontline workers and include them in the mass vaccination program.
In a recent incident, two Islamabad-based journalists including Sohail Abdul Nasir from Nawaiwaqtand and Johar Majeed from Daily Ausaf succumbed to the contagion.
Johar Majeed was on a ventilator at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Transplant (RIUKT) for the past several days while Sohail Abdul Nasir was also undergoing treatment at a hospital in Islamabad.
Previously, two senior journalists including Arshad Waheed Chaudhry from Geo News and Tariq Mehmood from Hum News also succumbed to coronavirus.
Other local journalists who died of the pandemic virus include Peshawar Fakharuddin Syed from Peshawar, Syed Asif Ali Farrukh from Multan, Hanif Zai from Badin, and Zafir Rasheed Bhatti, who was ex-reporter of Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
Advisor to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar also expressed condolences on the death of Sohail Abdul Nasir.
ابھی معلوم ہوا کہ نوائے وقت کے سینیر صحافی سہیل عبدلناصر کا کرونا کے باعث انتقال ہوگیا انتہائی نفیس، ملنسار اور با اصول انسان تھے اللہ انہیں جوار رحمت میں جگہ عطا کر ے pic.twitter.com/H5GqL0v0b1
— Mirza Shahzad Akbar (@ShazadAkbar) March 26, 2021
Global report
According to a report, more than 600 journalists have died due to contagion around the world.
A Geneva-based NGO Working on Journalists’ Death Statistics around the world reported more than 300 media workers died in Latin America, 145 in Asia, 94 in Europe, 32 in North America, and 28 in Africa.
Asia-Pacific Director at Reporters Without Borders, Daniel Bastard, said the pandemic badly affected the professions, particularly in South Asia. Several news reporters became news themselves, he added.
Last month, Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) demanded to include media workers in mass vaccination program.
In a letter to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, KUJ said media workers all over the world were incorporated in the vaccination programs as a priority owing to their job nature.
It stated that since February 2020, the journalists had been working on the frontline for public awareness when people belonging to other professions were working remotely.
Promises for protection
PML-N spokesperson Maryam Aurangzeb had also demanded the government to take immediate steps for the inoculation of journalists.
She said that medical workers were not provided safety kits by the government.
Firdous Ashiq Awan, at the time she was Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information, had promised the reporters that they would be provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) but it was not fulfilled.
PEMRA has also written a letter to SAPM on Health from free vaccination of media workers.
— Report PEMRA (@reportpemra) March 26, 2021
NPC rolls up sleeves
While talking to News360, National Press Club (NPC) Islamabad Secretary General Anwar Raza said that safety measures were extremely important for the protection of journalists so that they could perform their duties while preventing the contraction of the virus.
He added Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz, and SAPM on Health Faisal Sultan have been contacted for provision of coronavirus vaccines.
Besides them, Federal Minister for Planning and National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Chairman Asad Umar will also be contacted soon in this regard.
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Anwar Raza said that they were also writing a letter to the Chinese ambassador in which the provision of 5,000 doses would be requested for media workers.
Journalists are frontline workers
US Disease Control and Prevention has also included media workers on the priority list for vaccination against coronavirus.
According to the US agency, health and media workers are more likely to be infected with the pathogen due to their professional responsibilities.
After vaccination of health workers, police, and teachers in the first phase, the vaccination of media workers will be launched in the US under the second phase.
Meanwhile, the vaccination of journalists has also been carried out in Japan and China.
After local media workers, Japan will start inoculation of international journalists in the country as well as their family members aged between 18 to 59 in April.
Latest figures
In last 24 hours, 4,368 new cases have surfaced in Pakistan along with 63 fatalities. A total of 42,418 tests were performed to diagnose the contagion.
The positivity rate in the country has reached 10.29% while active cases have also increased to 40,120.
