ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday received another consignment of Covid-19 vaccine from China comprising 1.2 million doses, while a naval ship carrying critical healthcare equipment and medical supplies reached from the Kingdom of Bahrain.
According to details, a plane carrying the vaccine doses which have been purchased by Pakistan from China landed at Islamabad International Airport on Sunday evening.
The Ministry of Health received a batch of 1,000,000 doses of the SinoVac vaccine and 200,000 doses of the CanSino vaccine procured from China. Another batch of two million Covid-19 vaccine SinoVac is likely to reach Islamabad on May 21.
Meanwhile, a special Pakistan Navy Ship NASR, carrying critical healthcare equipment and medical supplies, reached Karachi from the Kingdom of Bahrain.
According to a spokesperson of Pakistan Navy, these supplies will facilitate in improving medical infrastructure and response towards Covid-19 emergencies. He said that medical supplies assistance has been gifted to Pakistan by the Kingdom of Bahrain. This act of generosity by people of Bahrain in these testing times will always be remembered and will further strengthen brotherly relations between the two Muslim countries.
Kingdom of Bahrain Consul General Yaser Isa Ajlan Isa Al Heddi, Karachi Logistic Area Commander Major General Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and senior army and naval officers were present to receive the shipment.
The federal government has expedited the imports of Covid-19 vaccines after the virus spread intensifies in the country. In a bid to expedite the vaccination process in the country, Pakistan has signed contracts for the purchase of the Covid-19 vaccine with several companies including Chinese firms.
Pakistan is already vaccinating its population over 30-years and older citizens.
Earlier on May 9, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had announced that Pakistan received nearly 12 million doses of corona vaccine so far. The country has received overall 11.9 mln doses of China’s Sinopharm, Sinovac and CanSino Covid-19 vaccines and AstraZeneca from the COVAX, the NCOC said in its statement. COVAX had provided 1.23 mln vaccine doses of Oxford University’s AstraZeneca, the NCOC further said.
