The government has decided to purchase 1.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccines from a Chinese company.

In a statement released on social media platform Twitter, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that the cabinet committee has decided to initially purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinoform.

The vaccine will be provided free of cost to frontline workers in the first quarter of 2021. He said the private sector could do so if anyone else wanted to import internationally approved vaccines.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar had in a statement issued on social media yesterday said that the Cabinet Committee meeting has approved the purchase of 1 million COVID-19 vaccine which will be provided to all front line health workers.

"As soon as DRAP experts approve the vaccine, our goal is to deliver the vaccine in the first quarter of January," Umar said.

As per a statement by the NCOC, Pakistan is in close contact with vaccine manufacturers to obtain a vaccine soon. It may be noted here that Pakistan signed up for the United Nation's COVAX Facility, a global initiative aimed at equitable access to safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines worldwide.

Besides, a National Immunisation Management System has been prepared with the joint efforts of the Ministry of Health, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), and the National Information Technology Board (NITB).