BEIJING: Pakistan Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque on Thursday thanked the Chinese government for gift of 3rd batch of half a million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine which reached Pakistan today.

Last night, Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was loaded in PAF aircraft at Beijing airport. "Thank you China for this gift of 3rd batch of half a million doses which has reached Pakistan today. Long live China-Pakistan friendship" according to the official Twitter account of the ambassador.

The COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Chinese government had been handedover to the Pakistani authorities at a ceremony held at Noor Khan Air Base.

The first batch of the COVID-19 vaccines provided by the Chinese government, which arrived in Pakistan on February 1, helped kick off Pakistan's nationwide vaccination campaign, highlighting the friendship between the two countries.

Later, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) also delivered a batch of COVID-19 vaccine to the Pakistani military. Pakistani military was the first foreign military to receive the COVID-19 vaccine assistance from the Chinese military.

Pakistan officially launched its National COVID-19 Immunization Program shortly after receiving the China-donated Sinopharm vaccines, with the frontline healthcare workers first inoculated.

On March 10, Pakistan began vaccinating its people aged 60 years and over in the second phase of the nationwide vaccination.