Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan on Saturday said that Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has granted emergency use authorisation to AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine
Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho addresses a press conference. DawnNewsTV
Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho urged the federal government on Saturday to allow Sindh to procure a vaccine for the novel coronavirus as she criticised the Centre for a slow approach in ordering vaccines, cautioning that a delay on this front would make Pakistan a pariah country.
Talking about prime minister s aide on health Dr Faisal Sultan s statement that the federal government wanted to obtain the vaccine with the highest efficacy, Pechuho said: Look at other countries, are UK, US, Europe all rushing? Even African countries have started procurement. India has started vaccination, Turkey has started. You have been left behind in the race. [If] we continue to sit back, our people will get sick and die. You will become a pariah internationally. Like polio, [Pakistanis] will have to show a coronavirus vaccination certificate, it would become hard to travel.
Astrazeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has been granted approval for emergency use in Pakistan, the country's health minister said on Saturday, the first vaccine against the disease to be given the green light in the South Asian country.