500,000 Sinopharm doses reach Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has taken elaborate measures to vaccinate millions of its people, thanks to the Chinese government for speedy delivery of anti-corona vaccine which is still coming in batches, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Wednesday.

Officials confirmed that another batch of China’s Sinopharm vaccine is expected this week which will be given to elderly population (60 & above) as well as the critical patients of COVID-19.

Mass vaccination centers have been set up across Pakistan just ahead of the arrival of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm Vaccine.

“We have set up these centers in Islamabad, Multan, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. More will be established across other cities,” a senior official dealing with the Vaccine program project in Pakistan told Gwadar Pro.

Pakistan has signed a deal with Beijing Institute of Biological Products for delivery of Sinopharm vaccine that aims to fight against COVID-19.

Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccine from Chinese manufacturer Sinopharm, Federal Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry confirmed earlier.

“The Cabinet Committee has decided to initially purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinopharm, which will be provided free of cost to frontline workers in the first quarter of 2021,” Fawad said.

In Pakistan, Federal Health Ministry has recently launched a registration drive across the country in collaboration with National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) advising the masses to register to have jabs of vaccine.

“Vaccine is being administered to people who have registered online to get free dose of vaccine. The vaccination will continue until the whole population gets jabs of vaccine,” a spokesperson of Ministry of Health told this correspondent.

Early this week, authorities announced to administer jabs of vaccine to people aged 70 & above at their door step.

“We have advised people aged 70 & above to stay home as we have taken steps to administer jabs of vaccine to them at their door step as per directives given by Prime Minister Imran Khan,” spokesman of Ministry of Health said.

On March 5, 2021, Pakistan approved the emergency use of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for people over 60 years of age, a statement by National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said.

Since then, a large number people in Pakistan, mostly frontline health workers, have been administered doses of Sinopharm vaccine. The vaccine has had great results so far, Pakistani authorities said.

Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities have confirmed they have placed an order to purchase single-dose Chinese vaccine Ad5-nCoV vaccine (Cansino Bio) for COVID-19 and its first batch is expected to be delivered to Pakistan shortly.

According to officials of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHS, R&C) the single-dose Chinese vaccine could be administered to people of all ages as it was found effective among people from 18 to 80 plus years of age during trials in Pakistan and other countries of the world.