PESHAWAR: At least 44 police personnel lost their lives due to coronavirus while performing their duties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a report revealed on Saturday.
According to a detailed report of the health department, coronavirus claimed 44 lives of the Policemen with more than 1500 policemen having been infected.
Hazara division most affected by the coronavirus, claiming 10 policemen lives, while 434 others affected, the report revealed.
As per the report, 13 policemen were martyred and 151 others were infected in the provincial capital Peshawar, 10 police personnel in Mardan with 151 were infected, four deaths were reported in Kohat with 172 were infected.
The official of the health department said that Police personnel is also at high risk like medical personnel but they are not being vaccinated so far.
The officials disclosed that Police officers over 40 years of age are being vaccinated like other citizens and the decision was not taken yet to provide separate vaccines for police personnel.
KP Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi said that the government has been requested to prioritise the vaccination of the police. “Police personnel, like healthcare workers, are battling COVID-19 at the frontline,” he added.
The police chief also said that the government has been requested to provide the heirs of the police personnel who died from COVID-19 the Shuhda Package.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Mahmood Khan has urged citizens and political leaders to avoid holding public gatherings on Eid-ul-Fitr amid surging in the COVID-19 cases.
Chief Minister, Mahmood Khan that devising a result-oriented strategy and collective efforts on part of each and every citizen are needed to combat COVID-19 and save precious lives.
He said that leadership of political parties and representatives should also create awareness among people regarding COVID-19 preventive measures and advise people to abide by corona SOPs.
The third wave of the coronavirus has entangled the whole country and the government was making incessant efforts to fight the looming danger in wake of corona spread, Mahmood Khan added.
