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Islamabad — Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, has decided to combat residents’ ovid-19 vaccination hesitancy by threatening to block cellphone service to anyone who refuses inoculation.

The decision to issue the threat came out of a meeting last week, led by provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, as officials scrambled for ways to boost the province’s dismal vaccination rate.

Rashid said protecting citizens from the coronavirus was the main priority for the Punjab government, and “only a vaccine can end the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The provincial government had hoped to be vaccinating 420 000 people per day, with the goal being to inoculate most of its population of 67 million by the end of the year. But only about 52 000 people per day have been coming forward to get a shot.

But, as is the case around the globe, the phenomenon of fake news has also contributed to widespread hesitancy in Pakistan, with social media and messaging services being the primary perpetuators of misinformation.

The Punjab’s government has effectively threatened to disconnect thousands of people from the internet.

Pakistan’s mobile service providers are waiting to see what happens, as they’ve received no notification yet from the Pakistan Telecom Authority, which oversees their business, of any official order to cut service to anyone. – CBSNews