Federal Minister for Planning and Development – Asad Umar, on Tuesday (today) revealed that Pakistan will be receiving China’s Cansino COVID-19 vaccine in bulk by mid-April.
Asad Umar apprised that the bulk COVID-19 vaccine received will be formulated, sterilized and packed in Pakistan.
First batch of cansino vaccine procured being recieved today. This is the vaccine in which Pakistan participated in phase 3 trials, which was the first time ever that Pakistan had done so for any vaccine.
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 30, 2021
We will be getting bulk vaccine by mid april from cansino from which 3 million vaccine doses can be made. The bulk vaccine recieved will be formulated, sterilized and packed in Pakistan. For this purpose special equipment has been procured and manpower is being trained
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 30, 2021
The federal minister further underscored that special equipment has already been procured for this purpose whereas manpower is also being trained.
Asad Umar also announced that Pakistan today received first batch of Cansino COVID-19 vaccine. The development comes as Pakistan participated in phase 3 trials, which was the first time ever that the country had done so for any vaccine.
It is pertinent to know that Pakistan launched its first COVID-19 vaccination programme on February 3rd after receiving 500,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm on February 1st.
The COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched simultaneously in federal capital along with provincial capitals namely Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar.
Meanwhile the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination was launched on March 10th. The second phase of COVID-19 inoculation will focus on people who are aged 60 or above, as they’re more vulnerable to the novel virus.