Pakistan administers 10 million doses of coronavirus vaccines

• Asad Umar says Pakistan wants to provide 7,00,00,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine by December 2021. 
• Umar appeals to masses to get themselves vaccinated against the virus. 
• Govt's measures during third wave of the virus are proving effective, he says. 

ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar on Wednesday announced that 10 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered in Pakistan so far. 

Addressing a brief press conference to mark the achievement, Umar said the government's decisions to curb the virus were proving "effective" during the third wave of the pandemic. 

"The more quickly we get ourselves vaccinated, the faster we will be able to rid ourselves of this menace," he said, requesting people to get themselves vaccinated so that business could reopen and life could return to its normal state in Pakistan. 

Umar said the government as well as the masses had done a commendable job in following coronavirus SOPs, resulting in the number of cases dropping. 

"We have seen that when Pakistanis, as a nation, decide to do something, then they do it," he said. 

The federal minister said that while it was an impressive achievement, the government wanted to expedite the campaign and vaccinate 70 million people by the end of the year. 

The NCOC chief said Pakistan was vaccinating an estimated 300,000 people on a daily basis against the coronavirus, adding that more than 300,000 were registering for the vaccine on a daily basis. 

Earlier, the minister had taken to Twitter to announce that Pakistan will cross the 1,00,00,000 doses mark today. 

Pakistan starts coronavirus vaccination for citizens over 18

Pakistan has seen a rise in coronavirus vaccinations on a daily basis ever since June 3, when the country started vaccinating those who over the age of 18 years.

Umar had encouraged the public to get themselves registered for vaccination at the earliest.

On May 16, Pakistan had opened registrations for citizens aged 19 and above for coronavirus vaccination. In a tweet, Umar had said registration will be open for the entire national population which is approved by health experts for the vaccine.

Umar had explained that the government was opening up registrations for more age groups as Pakistan's vaccine supply continues to improve and the country's vaccination capacity gets enhanced day by day.

On May 3, Pakistan opened registration for the vaccination of people aged between 40 to 49 years across the country and, subsequently, began walk-in vaccinations for people of the same age group.

A digital portal has been launched by the federal government for the registration through which a code is assigned to the person. They can then go to a designated vaccination centre and get a jab.