COVID-19: Second batch of Sinopharm vaccine doses to reach Pakistan on February 8

(Karachi) As part of efforts to protect the frontline health workers from COVID-19, Pakistan is all set to get another consignment of the Chinese Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine on Monday (tomorrow), local media reported on Sunday.

As per details, a special flight of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force will bring half a million doses of the vaccine.

“China is donating a second consignment of the Sinopharm vaccine to Pakistan, which will reach Islamabad on Monday, February 8, 2021, through special transport aircraft of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force," a government official stated.

He added that more details regarding the vaccine cannot be provided as it as an "army-to-army" collaboration between Pakistan and China.

On February 2, the first batch of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Pakistan as a gift from China to be used to inoculate the frontline health workers to protect them from COVID-19 at initial stage.

The vaccine arrived from Beijing early morning through a special flight.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said that the vaccine had arrived right at the time when Pakistan was grappling with the second wave of COVID-19. He said that Pakistan-China cooperation in fighting the pandemic, since its outbreak, has been exemplary.

Earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services, Dr Faisal Sultan said the Chinese made Covid-19 vaccine, Sinopharm, is not recommended for the people above 60 years of age.

He said that based on the findings of expert committee’s preliminary analysis of Sinopharm data, the government has recommended the vaccine be licensed for people aged 18-60, at this stage.