WB allows Pakistan to utilise PREP funds for Covid vaccine procurement

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank on Monday agreed over providing funding to Pakistan for advance purchases of coronavirus vaccines, ARY News reported on Monday, citing sources.

According to sources, the World Bank has offered Pakistan providing new funds for the vaccine procurement which was reportedly rejected by Islamabad.

Sources told ARY News that Pakistan has requested WB to allow utilizing funds issued for Pandemic Response Effectiveness Project (PREP) for the purchase of Covid vaccine which was accepted by the World Bank.

The World Bank’s (WB) Board of Executive Directors in April had approved $153 million for Pandemic Response Effectiveness Project for Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan had sought $153mn from the WB for advance purchases of the COVID-19 vaccines. The request had been made by the Economic Coordination Division.

The Health ministry had penned a letter to the Economic Coordination Division advising it to seek funds from the WB for advance purchases of the coronavirus vaccines.

Read more: ECC approves supplementary grant to purchase COVID-19 vaccines

Pakistan is also in direct contact with the COVID-19 vaccine producer firms and also using GAVI platform for the ani-covid vaccines.

It is to be noted that the ECC has already approved a supplementary grant for the advance purchases of the vaccines.

Pakistan has planned to vaccinate health workers and senior citizens in the first phase in a bid to save them from the deadly pandemic.

Pakistan Covid tally

Pakistan has recorded 36 deaths and 2,362 new cases due to the COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

In the past 24 hours, 36 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 8,832. 1,719 patients have recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours and 2,456 patients are in critical condition, however, no patient has been declared critical today.

The total count of active cases is 47,236.