ISLAMABAD: A special plane of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has reached Islamabad on Monday morning with the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses.
The plane carrying 500,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine, gifted from China to Pakistan landed at the Noor Khan airbase. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan also reached Islamabad aboard the plane.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) has taken the necessary steps to store the vaccine in Islamabad and onward supply to Sindh and Balochistan. It has also set up a vaccine nerve centre with the provincial and district level vaccine administration and coordination and adult vaccination centres.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a phone call with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi last week had promised to provide 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan by January 31. Beijing had asked Islamabad to send an airplane to get the vaccines.
Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Hua also confirmed the Chinese government would provide a batch of vaccines as aid and would actively coordinate with the relevant Chinese enterprise to speed up the export of vaccines to Pakistan. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Pakistan have been working together to overcome difficulties.
Pakistan has approved two foreign anti-COVID vaccines as of now, including the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, for emergency use in the country. Pakistan plans to provide vaccines to frontline health workers and elderly people in the first phase.
Federal Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar said that Pakistan will likely get 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine by March.
The federal minister announced on Twitter, “Good news on covid vaccine front.” He added that Pakistan received a response letter from Covax which indicated “supply of up to 17 million doses of AstraZeneca in 1st half 2021”.
پاکستان ائر فورس کے طیارے میں بیجنگ ائرپورٹ پر کرونا ویکسین لوڈ ہونے کا عمل جاری. اگلے چند گھنٹوں میں یہ طیارہ ویکسین لے کر پاکستان کے لئے روانہ ہو جائے گا اور اگلے چند دنوں میں پاکستان میں ویکسینیشن کا عمل شروع ہو جائے گا انشاءاللہ pic.twitter.com/4ciieWrLH9
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) January 31, 2021
