National
January 30, 2021
LAHORE: Global experts have called for removing misconceptions about vaccines as Pakistan is set to start administering COVID-19 vaccine to people in a phased manner from the next week.
“As there is a need to debunk the myths and misconceptions surrounding the vaccines, yet at the same time, we must not trivialise it,” says Helen Rees, executive director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of Witwatersrand and professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, while speaking at a Journalist Fellows Session titled “COVID vaccines and treatments” in the lead up to the 4th HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P // Virtual) convened by the International AIDS Society (IAS).
Sharing the good news on Twitter, the minister said that around six million doses will be received by March with delivery starting as early as February. AFP/File
Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said on Saturday that Pakistan had received a letter from the World Health Organisation’s Covax platform, indicating of a supply of up to 17 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine during the first half of 2021.
Sharing the good news on Twitter, the minister said that around six million doses will be received by March with delivery starting as early as February. We signed with Covax nearly eight months back to ensure availability, he wrote.
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla has announced that an order of 200,000 vaccines for COVID-19 has been placed to administer to parliamentarians, staff members of the Senate and their families.
In an interview with a private news channel, the deputy chairman said the order has been placed through the embassy of China in Pakistan.
He said that he had asked Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health if the government was unable to decide and procure, the private sector should be allowed to acquire it.
Dr Sultan made it clear the government had already given approval and the private sector could procure, he said. Therefore, we have placed an order for the Chinese vaccines for the Senate members, staff and parliamentarians, he said.
Pakistan to launch vaccination drive next week Hundreds of centres ready to administer shots, tweets minister for Planning Asad Umar
Pakistan will launch its Covid-19 vaccination drive next week, starting with frontline healthcare workers, a top minister has said.
Minister for Planning Asad Umar who is heading National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Wednesday tweeted that the system for vaccination is in place. Hundreds of vaccination centres in the country will be administering COVID vaccine. God willing, the vaccination of frontline health workers will start next week, he said.
China has promised to provide 500,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine free of cost before the end of January.