Pakistan receives first batch of single-dose Chinese coronavirus vaccine today

ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar Tuesday said that Pakistan would import Chinese Cansino Biologics COVID-19 vaccines in bulk to package three million doses locally. 

Asad Umar took to twitter and wrote, “First batch of cansino vaccine procured being received today. This is the vaccine in which Pakistan participated in phase 3 trials, which was the first time ever that Pakistan had done so for any vaccine.”

First batch of cansino vaccine procured being recieved today. This is the vaccine in which Pakistan participated in phase 3 trials, which was the first time ever that Pakistan had done so for any vaccine.

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 30, 2021

Asad Umar said the bulk vaccine received will be formulated, sterilized and packed in Pakistan and special equipment has been procured and manpower is being trained for this purpose. The first batch of 60,000 doses of the vaccine is arriving today, he added.

We will be getting bulk vaccine by mid april from cansino from which 3 million vaccine doses can be made. The bulk vaccine recieved will be formulated, sterilized and packed in Pakistan. For this purpose special equipment has been procured and manpower is being trained

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) March 30, 2021

Earlier this month, Pakistan placed the first order to purchase single-dose Chinese vaccine Ad5-nCoV vaccine for COVID-19.

Separately, Asad Umar asked all the provincial ministers to employ all administrative tools for across the board implementation of instructions issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) to stem the spread of coronavirus.

In his letters to the provinces, Asad said during the ongoing 3rd wave, the enforcement of SOPs had remained weak.