ECC APPROVES Rs20bn GRANT for PROCUREMENT of Covid-19 VACCINES
GOVT TO BUY 1M DOSES OF PFIZER CORONAVIRUS VACCINE
tHE Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Monday approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs20 billion for procurement of 10 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in June.
The meeting chaired by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin was specially called to provide a technical supplementary grant of $130 million to the National Disaster Management Fund (NDMF) to ensure timely procurement of the vaccine.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Privatization Muhammad Mian Soomro, Federal Minister for Railways Azam Swati, Adviser to the PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Adviser to the PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain, SAPM on Finance and Revenue Dr Waqar Masood, Finance secretary and other senior officers.
According to the finance ministry, the need for additional funds will be reviewed during the next fiscal year (FY22) and additional funds will be provided accordingly. The administration of the vaccine will be the responsibility of the Ministry of National Health Services and provincial health departments.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan is likely to receive consignments of various Covid vaccines in June with over five million doses.
In first 10 days of June, shipments of over 3.5 million doses of the vaccines including Sinovac, Sinopharm and Cansino vaccines are expected to reach the country whereas two consignments of Covid-19 vaccines including Oxford Astrazeneca and Pfizer vaccines may also be delivered under COVAX. A Earlier on Sunday, a PIA plane landed at Islamabad airport with about 500,000 Sinovac Covid vaccines.
The new consignment was shifted to the office of the federal Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), from where the vaccine will be sent to various vaccination centers.
Meanwhile, the government has also decided to buy one million doses of Pfizer-biontech’s coronavirus MRNA vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine will be given to immunocompromised people and those traveling abroad under the age of 40. A bilateral agreement has been made between Pfizer and the National Disaster Management Authority to procure the vaccines, an official of the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination confirmed.
According to reports, Pakistan will receive 1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in July or August, while 23 ultra-cold chain freezers have been purchased to store the vaccine.