COVID vaccination ongoing at 2000 centres across Pakistan: Dr Faisal Sultan

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said that as many as 2000 vaccination centres are being operated across the country to administer COVID jabs, ARY NEWS reported.

The SAPM said this while heading a think tank meeting on population and health where suggestions were mulled over ways aimed at increasing the coverage of COVID vaccine in the country. It was also attended by health experts from federation and provinces.

He said that the government was taking measures aimed at ensuring an uninterrupted supply of COVID vaccine in the country. “We are currently administering COVID jabs at 2,000 vaccination centres nationwide,” Dr Faisal Sultan said and added that between 300,000 to 400,000 people are getting doses in a day.

It is pertinent to mention here that another two million doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine arrived in Pakistan today after the country faced a shortage at some vaccination centres in Punjab and Sindh province.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said additional Sinovac shots purchased by the Government of Pakistan arrived on board a special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is procuring Covid-19 vaccine under the supervision of the NCOC, it said, adding the Sinovac vaccine will be provided to all the provinces.

The NCOC said the country’s daily vaccination rate will pick up with the arrival of the new consignment.

Pakistan has received the second consignment of Chinese vaccine in less than a week. On Sunday, a PIA plane carrying 1.55mn doses of the Sinovac vaccine arrived in Islamabad from China.

Besides, the second batch of homemade PakVac vaccine has been produced and will be available for use in the next couple of days after approval from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).