ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan has said that Pakistan will receive its first batch of the coronavirus vaccine directly from manufacturers, as well as the global platform of COVAX, in the first quarter of the year.
Talking to a private television channel, Dr Faisal Sultan said that the government will be ordering doses from more than one international suppliers within this quarter.
He said that Pakistan will only procure vaccines that have been approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) after evaluation of its quality vis a vis efficacy data. He said that in near future, more vaccines will also be given a go-ahead by the regulatory body.
He said that besides procuring the drug directly, Pakistan will also receive its first tranche of vaccines from COVAX, a World Health Organisation-led initiative that aims to provide Covid-19 vaccines to poor countries, in the first quarter of the year. Pakistan is already putting modalities in place to receive and distribute the vaccine.
“All necessary preparations are being done to start a mass inoculation campaign within Q1,” Dr Sultan said, “This includes infrastructure, framework, training and capacity.” In the first phase, the vaccine will only be administered to healthcare workers dealing directly with coronavirus infected and those over the age of 65 years, he further said. TLTP
Talking to a private television channel, Dr Faisal Sultan said that the government will be ordering doses from more than one international suppliers within this quarter.
He said that Pakistan will only procure vaccines that have been approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) after evaluation of its quality vis a vis efficacy data. He said that in near future, more vaccines will also be given a go-ahead by the regulatory body.
He said that besides procuring the drug directly, Pakistan will also receive its first tranche of vaccines from COVAX, a World Health Organisation-led initiative that aims to provide Covid-19 vaccines to poor countries, in the first quarter of the year. Pakistan is already putting modalities in place to receive and distribute the vaccine.
“All necessary preparations are being done to start a mass inoculation campaign within Q1,” Dr Sultan said, “This includes infrastructure, framework, training and capacity.” In the first phase, the vaccine will only be administered to healthcare workers dealing directly with coronavirus infected and those over the age of 65 years, he further said. TLTP