China presented another 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine to Pakistan on Wednesday. On the other hand a privately imported batch of Russian vaccines arrived in Karachi the same day, showing that Pakistan is picking up pace in fighting Covid-19 as Covid rates go high in the country.
Over 41,000 people have been vaccinated in a single day, out of which 28,424 are senior citizens, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar claimed.
Highest daily vaccination rate of over 41 thousand vaccinations achieved yesterday. Of these 28, 424 vaccinations were carried out of senior citizens. Please encourage everyone who is 70 plus to register to get vaccinated.
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 17, 2021
Commercial Minister Counsellor of China Xie Guoxiang handed over a consignment of 500,000 doses of the Chinese state-owned company Sinopharm’s vaccine to Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan at Nur Khan Airbase.
China has so far donated one million doses of Sinopharm vaccine to Islamabad. China also donated a consignment to the Pakistani armed forces but the military decided to surrender the vaccine to the frontline healthcare workers.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sultan said China had stood by Pakistan through thick and thin.
“We are thankful to the government of China for its support,” he said.
An official of the National Institute of Health said, the vaccines were shifted to a warehouse of the Expanded Programme of Immunisation.
“We had requested China to provide the vaccine before March 23 and as soon as the vaccine was acquired, we started sending them out to the provinces. We have been trying to procure the vaccine as well and hopefully by the end of the current month we will get the vaccine of two Chinese companies — Cansino and Sinopharm,” he added.
Ministry of National Health Services spokesperson Sajid Shah said that the government had fulfilled all its promises and there would be no shortage of the vaccine.
“However it is the responsibility of the people to strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures and get inoculated so that herd immunity is achieved,” he added.
