Faisal Sultan thanks China for sending 1st shipment of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Faisal Sultan on Monday thanked China as the first batch of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the country.

Talking to a private news channel, he appreciated China’s commitment in providing Chinese-produced Covid-19 vaccines and China has now become the first country who gifted Pakistan COVID-19 vaccine.

He said China has donated 500,000 doses, the frontline healthcare workers would be vaccinated first where over 400,000 health professionals have applied for the vaccination.

A special Pakistan Air Force (PAF) plane with the first tranche of Sinopharm vaccine landed here today (Monday), he added.

He said all necessary measures have been put in place for vaccine storage in Islamabad and the move of vaccines to various federating units particularly to Sindh and Balochistan through the air.

A Vaccine nerve centre has been established at NCOC with provincial and district Level vaccine administration, he added.

He further said both the government and private sector companies would bring vaccines into Pakistan but the private sector have to get their vaccines registered with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

“DRAP will check and have control on both the quality and price of the vaccine from the private companies,” he added.

He said that distribution of the vaccine will be free of charge for Pakistanis, adding, priority in access to the vaccine will be for medical teams, the elderly and sufferers of chronic disease.