China to donate 500,000 additional coronavirus vaccine doses to Pakistan

• China donates 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine by Sinopharm to Pakistan.
• China has already donated 1.5mn doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan.
• People are not getting themselves vaccinated, complains Dr Nosheen Hamid.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will receive 500,000 doses of Sinopharm's coronavirus vaccine from China this month, said the Parliamentary Secretary on Health Dr Nosheen Hamid.

Hamid was speaking to the media on Tuesday where she revealed that the vaccine doses will be donated by China.

“China has already donated 1.5mn doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan,” she said, adding that the 500,000 doses from Beijing will be delivered to Pakistan this month.

Speaking about the pandemic and the government’s vaccination process, Dr Hamid lamented that people were not getting themselves registered for the coronavirus vaccine jab.

“As of now, a little over 2mn people have gotten themselves registered [for the vaccine],” she said. “Out of these, 650,000 are healthcare workers.”

Dr Hamid said the government will initiate a campaign that would encourage the masses to get vaccinated against the virus.

Apart from the donated vaccine doses from China, the health secretary confirmed Pakistan will also receive the shipment of coronavirus vaccine doses from China that the country has purchased. 

'We desperately need vaccines in Pakistan'

A few days ago, a Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) official had said that the company provided its safety and efficacy data to the expert committee and on its recommendations, the approval for another Chinese vaccine was given.

DRAP had granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) to another Chinese vaccine, CoronaVac, Geo News had reported earlier. 

"The DRAP’s registration board allowed the vaccine as we desperately need vaccines in Pakistan," the official had asserted.

The CoronaVac is a traditional vaccine, which can be stored at 2-8°C, which makes it ideal for countries like Pakistan where they don’t have ultra-cold chain refrigerators.

Moreover, Phase-III clinical trials of a triple-dose Chinese vaccine, developed by the Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Company Ltd, are also underway in Lahore, Faisalabad, and other cities of Pakistan.