(Karachi) The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has approved Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine for people above 60 years of age, local media reported on Friday.

As per the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), the Sinopharm vaccine is being administered to people up to the age of 60 years, however, it would now be used to inoculate citizens above 60 years of age too.

DRAP has approved China’s Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine for inoculations to registered health workers over 60 years.

Earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services, Dr Faisal Sultan said the Chinese made Covid-19 vaccine, Sinopharm, is not recommended for the people above 60 years of age.

He said that based on the findings of expert committee’s preliminary analysis of Sinopharm data, the government has recommended the vaccine be licensed for people aged 18-60, at this stage.

On February 2, the first batch of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Pakistan as a gift from China to be used to inoculate the frontline health workers to protect them from COVID-19 at initial stage.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said that the vaccine had arrived right at the time when Pakistan was grappling with the second wave of COVID-19. He said that Pakistan-China cooperation in fighting the pandemic, since its outbreak, has been exemplary.