Pakistan to import CanSino vaccine in bulk, locally package 3m doses: Umar

NCOC chief says bulk vaccines to be procured by mid-April, adds country to receive its first batch of vaccine today

ISLAMABAD:

National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar informed on Tuesday that Pakistan will be receiving its first batch of CanSino vaccine for Covid-19 today, adding that the country will be locally packaging three million doses of the vaccine after receiving it in bulk in mid-April.

"First batch of cansino vaccine procured being recieved today. This is the vaccine in which Pakistan participated in phase 3 trials, which was the first time ever that Pakistan had done so for any vaccine," the minister said in a Twitter post.

First batch of cansino vaccine procured being recieved today. This is the vaccine in which Pakistan participated in phase 3 trials, which was the first time ever that Pakistan had done so for any vaccine.

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 30, 2021

In another tweet, the minister informed that Pakistan will be receiving the vaccine in bulk by mid-April, from which it will be able to package three million doses.

"The bulk vaccine recieved will be formulated, sterilized and packed in Pakistan," he added.

We will be getting bulk vaccine by mid april from cansino from which 3 million vaccine doses can be made. The bulk vaccine recieved will be formulated, sterilized and packed in Pakistan. For this purpose special equipment has been procured and manpower is being trained

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 30, 2021

Umar, who is also the minister for planning and development, further said that special equipment bulk vaccine recieved will be formulated, sterilised and packed in Pakistan.

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For this purpose, he maintained, special equipment has been procured and manpower is being trained.

A week ago, on March 23, the minister said that Pakistan would receive its first purchase of over one million doses of Chinese Sinopharm and CanSino Covid-19 vaccines by the end of March.

This, he said, will be the first consignment of Covid-19 vaccines the federal government has purchased from any manufacturer for the 220 million people.

He said the government was in talks with the same companies to purchase a further seven million doses of the vaccines.

“We want them to deliver that seven million by the end of April, but they have not confirmed this yet. They might have some supply issues,” Umar had said.