Federal cabinet on Tuesday, approved the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine costing US$ 150 million.
Addressing a press briefing Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services – Dr Faisal Sultan on Tuesday (today) announced that federal cabinet has approved the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine worth up to US$ 150 million.
The decision was made in the cabinet meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan himself.
Dr Faisal Sultan who was also accompanied by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, apprised that few companies have been shortlisted, contacted and initial conversation has been started with them.
In first phase of providing the vaccine, government’s priority will be healthcare workers and old age people who are most vulnerable to the virus, he said.
The government intends to procure Covid-19 vaccine in the first quarter of 2021, he added.
Furthermore, expressing his views on medicine prices, Dr Faisal Sultan highlighted that government has fixed the price of Remdesivir injection at Rs 5,000. The price has been slashed from the previously approved Rs 10,873.
Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity ratio stands at 6 per cent. Country’s COVID-19 tally stands at 400,482 cases with 8,091 deaths so far.
Around 343,286 people have successfully recovered from the novel virus whereas 2,165 are still in critical condition.
A total of 2,458 COVID-19 cases along with 67 casualties have been reported in the last 24 hours.
