ISLAMABAD: As the country witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases, the federal government on Saturday abolished the COVID-19 booster shot fee for passengers seeking to travel outside of Pakistan.
In a notification issued by the Ministry of Health, the government has announced that passengers seeking to travel outside of Pakistan can get free booster doses
People who are going abroad will get free booster jabs by showing their travel documents at vaccination centres, the notification said, adding that the booster dose is already free for the general public.
The directives have been conveyed to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and provinces by the national health ministry. Previously, Rs1,250 was being charged for the booster shot from those who were travelling abroad.
Citizens above 18 can get booster jab
On January 14, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced all citizens above 18 years can get the coronavirus vaccine’s booster jab, as the Omicron variant pushes infections across the country.
The free booster dose will be administered to people after a six-month gap from when their vaccination was completed.
Pakistan had first started administering booster doses from December 1, 2021, for three groups — healthcare workers, individuals above the age of 50, and those having a weak immune system — and later, the age was lowered to 30 years and above on December 20.
