Health authorities in Pakistan are currently in the process of acquiring the coronavirus vaccine. They are negotiating with China and Russia, among others, to ensure this venture.
Today, Russia offered its vaccine, Sputnik V, to Pakistan, through the Russian Embassy in Islamabad.
They also sent over reports from their clinical trials which reveal that vaccination doses have proven to be 95% effective.
“We are in talks with China, Russia and some other countries for procurement of the [COVID-19] vaccine after narrowing down our priority list,” Faisal Sultan, special assistant to the prime minister on health, previously told Anadolu Agency.
Sultan said that Pakistan would have access to the vaccine next year; sometime between January and March.
“There is nothing final yet; however, I can tell you that we have to rely on more than one source,” the adviser said. “We will procure the vaccine only after its efficacy and safety is proven.” he added.
The People’s Vaccine Alliance – a network of organisations including Amnesty International, Oxfam and Global Justice Now – has warned world leaders that there are not enough vaccines to go around and that drug companies should share their technology through World Health Organization (WHO) to make sure more doses are produced to ensure a more equitable distribution.
Pakistan is witnessing a rapid surge in coronavirus cases. In the last 24 hours, 2,963 people tested positive for COVID-19 while 60 people died according to the latest statistics provided by the National Command and Command Centre (NCOC). As of December 9, the total active cases in Pakistan are 45,324, with 8,547 deaths.
