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ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan has announced that Pakistan would begin its second vaccination phase from March, with the arrival of 2.8 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
“As per reports, 2.8 million doses will reach around March 2. This is a positive development because we will be able to start the next phase of the vaccination programme,” the special assistant said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad today (Thursday).
Talking about the vaccination campaign, he said that more than 52,000 frontline healthcare workers had been vaccinated till now. “The healthcare workers getting vaccinated showed how much they trust the vaccine’s efficacy,” he added.
Announcing a change in vaccination strategy, he said that previously, frontline healthcare workers had to register themselves and they were informed of the specific vaccination centre they could go to in order to receive their shot.
“A small change has been made. If you are a healthcare worker below the age of 60, you just have to send your CNIC number to 1166 and then visit your nearby vaccination centre to get the shot,” he added.
The SAPM further said that the registration process for healthcare workers who were not working on the frontline, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists, would begin from February 22.
Talking about citizens aged above 65 years, he said they should send their CNIC numbers to 1166 without any dashes or spaces. They would then receive a reply, giving them further information about the mechanism for getting vaccinated.