Pakistan government has announced that it will not use AstraZeneca — a vaccine it received through COVAX — on people aged under 40.
In newly issued guidelines, the government said the interval between two doses will be three months instead of an earlier four-to-eight weeks period.
On Saturday, Pakistan got the first shipment of the AstraZeneca. The consignment comprising 1,248,400 doses of the vaccine reached Islamabad airport under the COVAX facility. Pakistan was supposed to get the first tranche of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine via COVAX in March, but the supply was delayed after the Serum Institute of India (SII) diverted supplies to meet its domestic needs.
Pakistan has so far received 10.19 million doses of different vaccines (Sinopharm, Sinovac, and CanSino). The NCOC said that one million doses of Sinovac will arrive on May 13 and another 1.5 million doses are expected by the end of the current month.
Vaccinations drive against coronavirus is underway in Pakistan.
Separately, the Punjab government ran out of Chinese-made Cansino and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines last week and ceased the administration of these vaccines to citizens. “The supplies of the single-dose Cansino vaccine (Convidecia) have completely run out, whereas some doses of the double-dose Sinovac vaccine (CoronaVac) have been saved for those people who already got their first dose,” reports had claimed.
Punjab had received 30,000 doses of Convidecia from the National Command and Operation Centre. These were being administered to people above 60 years. Now people are being administered the double-dose Sinopharm vaccine.
