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ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) plane has departed for China to bring the first batch of coronavirus vaccine comprising five hundred thousand doses.
As per details, the doses will be transported from Beijing in a special Chinese container. The health officials have confirmed that China has donated a total of 1.1 million vaccine doses to Pakistan.
The plane will arrive in Pakistan with the vaccine on Monday (February 1). A special vaccination center has been constituted at the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) under which all provincial and district bodies will function.
The vaccine will be shifted to all provinces by air from the federal capital and all preparations have been finalized in this regard.
On the other hand, the NCOC deliberated over the strategy to administer the coronavirus vaccine across the country. The meeting was told that a proper storage center has been built in Islamabad for the doses.
On Saturday, Federal Minister for Planning and the chief of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Asad Umar had said that Pakistan will receive 17 million doses of Astra Zeneca in 1st half of 2021.
On a social media website Twitter, Asad Umar said, “Good news on covid vaccine front. Pakistan received a response letter from Covax which indicated “supply of up to 17 million doses of AstraZeneca in 1st half 2021,” he added.
Federal minister Asad Umar further said that the deliveries of these vaccines will begin in February with about 6 million AstraZeneca doses received by March. The country reached out to Covax “nearly 8 months back to ensure availability,” he added.
Good news on covid vaccine front. Recieved letter from Covax of indicative supply of up to 17 million doses of AstraZeneca in 1st half 2021. About 6 million will be recieved by March with delivery starting in Feb. We signed with Covax nearly 8 months back to ensure availability
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) January 30, 2021
Meanwhile, Pakistan has reported 34 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 544,813. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 11,657.