Pakistan to receive 3.5mn COVID vaccines from China in two days: sources

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will receive 3.5 million doses of COVID vaccines from China within two days as the country has expedited its vaccination process in the wake of the fourth wave of the infection, ARY NEWS reported on Monday.

According to sources privy to details, the vaccines to be brought to Pakistan included two million doses of Sinopharm and 1.5 million doses of Cansino.

“The vaccines will be brought in two phases and the two million doses of Sinopharm is a gift from the Chinese government,” they said adding that the remaining 1.5 million was purchased by Pakistan from a Chinese company.

The sources said that Pakistan would also be receiving 300,000 doses of CanSino besides also getting raw material for 1.2 million doses. “The Cansino vaccine will reach Islamabad on August 03,” they said adding that so far the Chinese government has gifted 1.72 million doses of the COVID vaccine.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has expedited the vaccination process in wake of the fourth COVID wave gripping the country and Federal Minister and Head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Asad Umar yesterday said that they have set another record after 10 million people received the jabs within 16 days.

Taking to Twitter to make the announcement, the NCOC head said that the country having a population of 220 million has inoculated 30 million people with the last 10 million being vaccinated in a record 16 days.

“The first crore [10 milllion] took 113 days. The second 28 days and the 3rd only 16 days,” he said adding that the pace has rapidly increased.