US sends 3.7 million doses of Pfizer vaccine to Pakistan

The US has provided 3.7 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan through the COVAX facility, following the earlier announcement two days ago by a White House official.

"This donation of 3.7 million vaccines is part of the 500 million Pfizer doses the United States purchased this summer to deliver to 92 countries and economies worldwide, including Pakistan, to fulfill President Joe Biden’s commitment to provide safe and effective vaccines around the world and supercharge the global fight against the pandemic," the US Embassy in Islamabad said in a statement issued on Thursday.

It added that the US has now provided over 9.2 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, including 5.5 million jabs of Moderna, to Pakistan this year.

US to ship 3mn doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan

“There is an urgency, now more than ever, to put an end to this devastating pandemic, and Pakistan and the United States are continuing to work together to achieve that goal,” said US Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P. Aggeler.

“The United States is proud to partner with the Pakistani people to defeat Covid-19. Together, we will continue to build a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease.”

The statement further said that since the coronavirus pandemic, the US has worked together with Pakistan to improve infection prevention and control, enhance patient care, and support frontline healthcare workers.

The US has also delivered more than $63 million in coronavirus assistance through its partnership with Pakistan, the statement added.

Pakistan's Covid-19 positivity shoots to 7.4%, active cases jump to 92,244

The latest shipment by the US comes at a time when Pakistan is battling with the fourth wave of coronavirus with active cases jumping to over 92,000 and closing in on the highest number of 108,642 witnessed during the first spell last year.

During the last 24 hours, Pakistan's national positivity ratio saw an increase after being recorded at 7.4%. Out of 61,466 tests conducted, 4,553 came out positive, taking the national tally to 1,140,411.

Overall, according to a province-wise breakdown, Sindh has so far reported 425,570 cases, Punjab (385,258), Balochistan (32,014) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (158,964). Similarly, 97,542 Covid-19 cases have been reported in Islamabad, 9,769 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 31,294 infections have been reported in Azad Jammu and Kashmir since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Pakistan has also administered close to 50 million doses since it began its inoculation drive earlier this year. Of these, fully vaccinated citizens are around 14.8 million, according to data available on the official government portal.