KARACHI: The first batch of the vaccine will reach Karachi on February 1st, while vaccination of the healthcare workers will begin in the first week, sources at the Sindh health department disclosed on Monday.
According to details, the government of Sindh has placed its order for the COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier, the provincial health ministry requested’ Islamabad to allow it to procure by itself the COVID-19 vaccine from different countries.
“The way the federal government is toeing its vaccination procurement plan, I fear that Pakistan would be the last country to have such a cure,” Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho told a press conference.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had earlier informed that China will provide 500,000 shots of its Sinovac coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan by January 31. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) approved AstraZeneca and Sinopharm’s vaccines for emergency use in the country.
After the announcement of Pakistan’s foreign minister, a spokesperson of China’s foreign ministry said that the Chinese government will provide a batch of COVID-19 vaccine to Pakistan as aid and will “actively coordinate with the relevant Chinese enterprise to speed up export of vaccines to Pakistan”.
