by Fatima Javed

 

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 3 (Gwadar Pro) - On the launch of Covid-19 vaccination drive yesterday, Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked China for donating Sinopharm vaccine. The country embarked on a massive inoculation drive against the virus as the first consignment of 0.5 million doses produced by China reached the federal capital on Monday.

 

PM’s aide on health Dr Fasial Sultan among other officials was present on the occasion to oversee the inoculation drive. In line with the priority list, a doctor was the first person to be inoculated.

 

After health care workers, those above age 65 will be vaccinated, as another 1.1 million doses from China are expected to arrive later this month.

 

Over 0.5 million frontline health workers have registered themselves for the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination that is due to kick-off tomorrow (Wednesday).

 

According to the sources the drive will begin tomorrow at 11 in the morning at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), and that frontline health workers of 15 sensitive cities of the country will receive coronavirus jabs.

 

Government staff, private and coronavirus isolation centers will receive the dose of the vaccine in the first phase tomorrow. The vaccination process is expected to complete before March 31.

 

The process of dispatching the Covid-19 vaccine to all the provinces is also underway with Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan having already been sent the vaccine by road.

 

The vaccine has been shifted from EPI storage to Islamabad airport for its onward transportation to Sindh and Balochistan as well, the sources added, hoping that both provinces will get the vaccine by this evening. 

 

Besides the Chinese jabs, Pakistan has also pledged 17 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine under a global scheme to deliver treatments to the developing nations. About 6 million doses will arrive by the end of March under the COVAX scheme, with the remainder by mid-year.

 

According to the latest statistics, the Covid-19 cases in the country stand at 547,648, while death toll totaling 11,746. The recoveries are currently at a total of 502,537.