ISLAMABAD – The Drug Regulatory Authority has issued approval for emergency use of a vaccine, developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, in Pakistan.
It has become the first vaccine to be approved by the South Asian nation of over 200 million people.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Healh Dr Faisal Sultan confirmed the development to local media stating that the vaccine could be used across the country.
The DRAP has granted approval after the multinational pharmaceutical firm submitted a request through a local company.
The AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, which is also being administered to people in Britain since late December, is cheaper and easier to use than the products of other companies.
About the efficiency of the vaccine, the firm in a statement had said: "The combined analysis from both dosing regimens (n=11,636) resulted in an average efficacy of 70%".
At least 45 people lost their lives due to the novel coronavirus infection while 2,432 fresh cases have reported in the last 24 hours, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said Saturday.
According to the latest figures, the number of positive cases has surged to 516,770 while the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 10,908.
As of Saturday, the total count of active cases is 33,763.
At least 2,793 patients have recovered from the virus in a day while the total number of recoveries stands at 472,099.
Sindh remains at the top in terms of cases followed by Punjab and other regions.
Till now 233,396 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 148,488 in Punjab 62,996 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 39,888 in Islamabad, 18,537 in Balochistan, 8,583 in Azad Kashmir, and 4,882 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Pakistani rupee inches up against US dollar in the open market on 28 March, 2024.
In the open market, the US dollar was being quoted at 278.4 for buying and 281.4 for selling.
Euro moves down to 299.75 for buying and 302.75 for selling while British Pound hovers around 353.75 for buying, and 357.25 for selling.
UAE Dirham AED remains stable at 75.55 whereas the Saudi Riyal saw minor increase, with new rates at 73.70.
Currency | Symbol | Buying | Selling |
---|---|---|---|
US Dollar | USD | 278.4 | 281.4 |
Euro | EUR | 299.75 | 302.75 |
UK Pound Sterling | GBP | 353.75 | 357.25 |
U.A.E Dirham | AED | 75.55 | 76.3 |
Saudi Riyal | SAR | 73.7 | 74.4 |
Australian Dollar | AUD | 182.9 | 184.7 |
Bahrain Dinar | BHD | 739.61 | 747.61 |
Canadian Dollar | CAD | 204.25 | 206.45 |
China Yuan | CNY | 38.74 | 39.14 |
Danish Krone | DKK | 40.30 | 40.70 |
Hong Kong Dollar | HKD | 35.55 | 35.9 |
Indian Rupee | INR | 3.33 | 3.44 |
Japanese Yen | JPY | 1.86 | 1.94 |
Kuwaiti Dinar | KWD | 901.14 | 910.14 |
Malaysian Ringgit | MYR | 59.25 | 59.85 |
New Zealand Dollar | NZD | 168.56 | 170.56 |
Norwegians Krone | NOK | 26.19 | 26.49 |
Omani Riyal | OMR | 724.36 | 732.36 |
Qatari Riyal | QAR | 76.57 | 77.27 |
Singapore Dollar | SGD | 206.25 | 208.25 |
Swedish Korona | SEK | 26.89 | 27.19 |
Swiss Franc | CHF | 313.78 | 316.28 |
Thai Bhat | THB | 7.76 | 7.91 |
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