Another 2 million doses of Sinovac shots flown in from China

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)’s special flight PK-6853 airlifted another batch of 2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine from Beijing to Islamabad on Sunday.

Last Sunday, another flight PK-6852 had also transported a consignment of 2 million doses of Sinovac jabs procured from China to fight the ongoing wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan, Qadir Bux Sangi, PIA Country Manager for China, said.

The relevant Chinese authorities have pledged to continue the uninterrupted supply of the vaccine to help Pakistan defeat the deadly virus.

According to sources, Pakistan has so far received over 13 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines comprising Sinopharm, Sinovac and CanSino procured from China including others through the COVAX programme.

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Currently, Pakistan is facing a third wave of Covid-19 pandemic while the authorities concerned continue to tighten the anti-pandemic measures and facilitate the vaccination drive.

According to an official, the vaccination for the 30-39 age group started on Saturday and would continue for an indefinite period.

Pakistan has already been vaccinating people aged 40 and above across the country.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the country has administered 4,956,853 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to date, with 1,193,441 people fully inoculated.

It may be mentioned that Pakistan began the vaccination drive in March with over a million doses of Sinopharm vaccines donated by China.

Islamabad received the first Covid-19 vaccine consignment after a military aircraft transported it from Beijing on February 1, this year.