Hajj 2021: Pakistan requests Saudi Arabia to register Chinese vaccine

ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan on Saturday requested Saudi authorities to register the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine for Hajj pilgrimage 2021, ARY News reported.

As per details, the Foreign Office of Pakistan has made a contact with Saudi authorities requesting the kingdom to include Chinese Covid-19 vaccines along with AstraZeneca and Pfizer for Hajj pilgrimage.

The FO spokesperson in a statement said that Pakistan has asked Saudi Arabia to add some Chinese vaccines to a list of recommended vaccines declared mandatory for Hajj and Umrah.

Read More: Hajj policy likely to be announced next week: Noorul Haq Qadri

“Foreign Office is in touch with Saudi authorities on the vaccination matter,” said FO spokesperson Zahid Hafeez and expressed hope that the issue would be resolved soon.

According to a report, Saudi Arabia has issued a list of recommended vaccines, which does not include vaccines manufactured in China.

Read More: Pakistan to receive another batch of 1.2 mn AstraZeneca doses next month

Pfizer, Oxford, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson’s coronavirus vaccines have been recommended by the kingdom for use, according to a report.

Saudi Arabia is likely to announce the Hajj policy next week.

It may be noted that Pakistan launched its Covid-19 vaccination drive in February and most people are being vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccines manufactured by China.

Pakistan recently received 1.2 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine delivered by COVAX to support the Government’s efforts to vaccinate high-risk people.

Pakistan will receive another batch of over 1.2 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine under COVAX next month.