RAWALPINDI: The Pakistani Army on Friday received the second batch of COVID-19 vaccines from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
According to China Military Online, the vaccine was delivered with the approval of the Central Military Commission, and at the request of the Pakistani military.
Pakistan Army received the first batch of the vaccine from the Chinese PLA on February 8, China Military Online reported, becoming the first foreign military to get the COVID-19 vaccine from the Chinese military.
Meanwhile, the first batch of China’s CanSino COVID-19 vaccines that the Pakistani government purchased in bulk also reached Pakistan a few days ago, CanSino Biologics told the Chinese media.
The bulk vaccines will now help Pakistan manufacture the vaccine locally to support the country’s fight against COVID-19, the company told Xinhua.
The third phase trials of the CanSino vaccine had been conducted in Pakistan and it is the second Chinese COVID-19 vaccine that Pakistan approved for emergency use in the country.
Presently, Pakistan is facing a third wave of COVID-19 and the positivity rate has seen a sharp rise, forcing the authorities to continue tightening the anti-pandemic measures and facilitating the vaccination drive.
Pakistan reported another 4,298 COVID-19 cases on Friday, while another 140 people lost their lives from the virus as the government is set to impose a lockdown ahead of the Eid holidays.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported another 4.298 cases and 140 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 850,031 while the death toll stands at 18,677.
The number of active cases has reached while there are 5,711 people remain in critical condition. There were 44,846 tests conducted in the past day, while the positivity ratio was 9.58 %. Overall 746,755 people have recovered from the virus, including 4,631 in the past day.
Punjab remains an affected region and has recorded 314,517 cases and 8,891 1 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province stands at 40,979. Islamabad has recorded 77,414 cases and 702 deaths while there are 11,188 active cases in the federal capital.
The number of coronavirus cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 122,520 and 3,537 deaths while there are 10,521 active cases in the province. Sindh has recorded 289,646 cases and 4,698 deaths while Balochistan has recorded 23,016 cases and 243 deaths.
