Another 680,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine arrive in Pakistan

• Another consignment, containing 680,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine has arrived in the country today.
• A special PIA plane carrying 0.68 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine arrived at Islamabad International Airport from China.
• The vaccine doses will be distributed among provinces according to their requirement.

ISLAMABAD: Another consignment of vaccines has reached Pakistan from China as the country continues to battle the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases due to the fourth wave of the pandemic. 

According to health department sources, another consignment, containing 680,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine has arrived in the country today.

A special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane carrying 0.68 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived at the Islamabad International Airport from China, sources added.

The vaccine doses will be distributed among provinces according to their requirement.

Vaccine shortage in Karachi 

On Thursday, Karachi was reportedly facing a shortage of vaccines.

With thousands of people thronging vaccination centres across the city, a shortage of the Sinopharm, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca vaccines is being witnessed, Sindh Health Department officials said.

The health department officials said vaccine reserves have been exhausted at Dow Ojha Hospital, and Sindh Government Children Hospital, while supplies to inoculation centres at New Karachi, Liaquatabad, and Lyari have been suspended.

The officials said the first dose of Sinopharm, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca vaccines are not being administered, while a sparse number of jabs were available for those seeking a second dose.

Pakistan aims to procure over 30mn doses of vaccine   

Earlier this week, Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination officials said that the federal government aims to procure more than 30 million more vaccine doses in August.

The officials said the vaccines are being purchased to keep the inoculation process smooth as the country battles the fourth COVID-19 wave.

On Monday, Pakistan achieved the one-million daily vaccination mark, with Islamabad becoming the first city to get 50% of its eligible population vaccinated with at least one dose.