PM Imran directs to expedite procurement, supply of COVID vaccines

Prime Minister Imran Khan has on Tuesday directed to expedite supple of COVID vaccines across the country.

According to the details, a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Coronavirus vaccines was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan today.

The meeting was attended by Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Asad Umar, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Sania Nishtar.

At the meeting, the committee members said that emergency use of two vaccines has been approved in the last few days and steps are being fast-tracked for the approval of more vaccines. Committee members added that steps are being taken to procure two approved vaccines. Vaccines will be delivered in the first quarter of this year.

The Prime Minister directed the Cabinet Committee to expedite the steps taken for procurement and supply of approved vaccines.

Earlier, Pakistan has approved authorized China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, making it the second vaccine to get local approval.

According to sources, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has approved the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use across the country.

The decision was taken in meetings held between January 14 and 18 after reviewing vaccine results data submitted by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

The development allows federal and provincial governments, and the private sector to import the Chinese vaccine.

Sinopharm, a state-run Chinese firm, is developing two COVID-19 vaccines. Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million doses of the corona vaccine from China.

Moreover, Pakistan is also running phase III clinical trials of another Chinese vaccine from CanSino Biologics’, led by the National Institute of Health.

The government of Pakistan has granted permission on Saturday to use Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (AZD1222) in an emergency situation.