Minister: Vaccine to be available in March
PROVINCES, PRIVATE SECTOR FREE TO IMPORT VACCINES
Asad Umar, the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, has made it clear that provinces and the private sector are free to import vaccines subject to approval of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).
While appearing in a talk show on a private TV, Asad Umar said since day one, the National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) had adopted the policy that the federal government would not have the monopoly to import anti-coronavirus vaccines.
“Provinces and private entities including hospitals have been allowed to import the vaccines that are approved by DRAP,” said the minister.
About AstraZeneca vaccine that has been approved by the drug regulatory authority, he said the Sindh government could import the vaccine, provided it could procure its supplies from abroad.
The minister said China’s Sinopharm vaccine was also approved by a technical committee and the only obstacle was the mechanism how to distribute it locally and it would be decided by Tuesday.
Multiple sources
About China’s CanSino vaccine, he said its third phase of clinical trials was currently under way in Pakistan. The
trials’ results would arrive by mid-February and if those are promising it too would be available in March.
He said with Pakistan being a signatory to the Covax alliance, vaccines from multiple sources would be procured and made available in the first quarter of the year.
Grim milestone
Pakistan yesterday reported 43 deaths and 2,521 confirmed cases of Covid-19 during the last twenty-four hours thus recording the number of overall deaths to 10,951 and tally of infections 519,291.
According to the NCOC, there are still 2,373 critical cases of Covid-19 while 1,540 cases have been recovered from Covid-19 registering an overall 473,639 recoveries.