Minister promises free-of-charge vaccine for most

Fawad says frontline health workers, senior citizens will be given priority

LAHORE:

Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that Pakistan tackled the first wave of coronavirus in a sensible manner, and now efforts are afoot to cover a major chunk of the population with free-of-charge vaccine.

Addressing a news conference on Sunday, the minister said that the private companies would be given permission to import coronavirus vaccine.

“A comprehensive model for the administration of the vaccine is being prepared,” Fawad said. “Efforts will be made to provide vaccine free of charge or at a minimum price to a maximum number of people.”

He added that the vaccine will be administered to frontline workers and senior citizens on a priority basis.

The minister’s statement comes just days after the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) -- country's nerve centre for Covid-19 response – said that the government was in close liaison with the world's leading Covid-19 vaccine manufactures and “is regularly reviewing developments, including data from phase-III trials”.

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination had revealed that the government had also allowed the private sector to purchase the coronavirus vaccine. The UK, USA, China and Russia are currently involved in vaccine manufacturing, with Pfizer and Russia's Sputnik vaccine being already administered to selected groups of people.

Earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said that the Covid-19 vaccine would be available by March 2021.

He maintained that the priority of the vaccine would be given to healthcare workers and people above the age of 65.

The special assistant urged citizens to adopt standard operating procedures (SOPs) to contain the spread of the virus, adding that the second wave of the virus is more dangerous than the first one. (With input from app)