ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Dr Faisal Sultan has said that the government of Pakistan will provide Covid-19 vaccines free of cost to the masses.
While addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Sultan said that the authorities were devising a mechanism for the provision of the vaccine to the people, adding that the provinces and the private sector could also import Covid-19 vaccine. He said that Pakistan was in advanced stage talks with two countries to procure the Covid-19 vaccine. He said that the two companies, Sinopharm and CanSino had been short-listed so far.
The SAPM said that Sinopharm was being used in several countries worldwide which had an efficacy of around 80-85 percent. He said that CanSino's vaccine Phase-III trails were being conducted in Pakistan, which would conclude soon, and the results of the vaccine would be available soon.
He said that some 17,500 volunteers took part in the vaccine trials. The trials in three out of five centres have concluded, while they are near completion in two centres. He said that the statistical analyses of CanSino vaccine in Pakistan were underway, the findings were expected to come in the start of February, and Pakistan was entitled to 20 million doses, on the condition that the vaccine was effective.
Sultan further said that the country would receive corona vaccine for up to 20 percent of the population through the World Health Organization (WHO)'s COVAX Facility. The COVAX Facility is being sponsored by the 64 top global economies as a part of a global initiative that brings together governments and manufacturers to ensure eventual Covid-19 vaccines reach those in greatest need.
To ensure that Pakistan can avail the doses through COVAX, there is a need for government-level talks; and Pakistani officials have been in contact with the Chinese counterparts, he said. "Today, we also met UK's ambassador and I assure you that we will announce a positive outcome soon," he said.
Speaking of the current status, the special assistant said that in the first quarter (January-March), the government will be able to procure one million vaccine doses. "We believe that we will be able to obtain more doses in the future," he said.
Talking statistics, he said that the country's population was 220 million, of which 120 million people were under 18 years of age. "The vaccine is approved for the adult population and if we can inoculate 70 percent of our population, I expect the country to achieve immunity."
The technical committee that was tasked to review the coronavirus vaccine candidates had to look at several aspects before opting for one, Sultan said. The committee initiated talks with the eight short-listed companies and took it to the next level and on the other hand, they were registering companies whose results were available.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had approved AstraZeneca and Sinopharm's vaccines in the last few days, he said. Pakistan would distribute the vaccine through the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), and the country is capable of inoculating its entire population, he said.
To streamline the process, the government has developed software to track it. "As many as 400,000 health workers have registered in the resource management system. The training for our workforce, which includes thousands of people, including frontline health workers," he said, adding that it was underway for the technical staff, logistics, and waste management.
Reiterating the inoculation phases, he said that frontline healthcare workers would be the first to receive the vaccine, and in the next phase, rest of the healthcare workers and the people over 65 years of age.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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