Pakistan receives another 500,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine

ISLAMABAD: Another Pakistan Air Force (PAF) special plane carrying 0.5 million doses of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine from China arrived in Pakistan on Saturday, ARY News reported, citing sources.

The special plane carrying the vaccine arrived at Islamabad’s Nur Khan Airbase. This was the eighth Covid-19 vaccine consignment that arrived from China.

China previously gifted 1.5 million vaccine doses to Islamabad.

Separately in another development, three Pakistan Internationa Airlines (PIA) planes have left for China Saturday to bring 1 million more vaccine doses.

On Thursday Pakistan had received another shipment of 500,000 doses of a SinoVac coronavirus vaccine from China.

Pakistan on April 18. had reached an agreement for the procurement of China’s CoronaVac vaccine.

Coronavac vaccine has been prepared by the Sinovac Life Sciences of China. The firm has assured providing the vaccine according to the needs of Pakistan, sources said.

CoronaVac, inactivated vaccine, comprises of two doses and stored at minus-two to eight degree Celsius temperature, sources said. China had allowed emergency use of the CoronaVac in July 2020

According to sources, Pakistan will receive two million doses of COVID vaccine from China by April 24.

Read More: Lahore firm seeks emergency use permission for Sinovac vaccine

Out of two million doses, 1.5 million would be purchased from China while 500,000 would be provided as a gift from the neighbouring friendly country.

The doses included 1.5 million vaccines of Sinopharm and 500,000 jabs of Sinovac.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has already begun vaccinating elderly people aged above 50-year-old and health professionals.