ISLAMABAD: The physician heading a Phase III clinical trial in Pakistan for a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate has urged people to volunteer for the trial, overcoming the resistance in the country to immunisation programmes.
Pakistan launched the trial last week for Ad5-nCoV, a vaccine candidate co-developed by CanSino Biologics and a Chinese military-backed research unit.
It is the first-ever large scale trial in Pakistan, which has grappled with disinformation around other long-established vaccines, and attacks on health workers administering them.
Efforts to eradicate polio, for instance, have for years been undermined by opposition from some Islamists, who say immunisation is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies.
“There are lots of challenges whenever you introduce something new and a vaccine is part of it. Vaccine hesitancy, unfortunately, with a country like Pakistan is also pretty much high,” Ejaz A. Khan, who is heading the trial at Islamabad's Shifa International Hospital, told Reuters on Tuesday.
"People should come and volunteer, people should not be hesitant. They can take part and become part of the team which is fighting COVID-19."
Khan, who has taken part in immunisation drives for three decades in Pakistan, said even existing vaccines had side effects, and hoped Ad5-nCoV would not fall prey to this discussion.
Shifa International, the first of five trial sites in Pakistan, has repurposed a building previously used for COVID-19 testing for the trial, which it hopes will have 2,000 participants.
Volunteers arrive by appointment, and are recruited through NGOs, hospitals, and corporations.
Volunteers must be over 18, not have tested positive for COVID-19, not have immune deficiencies, and not be pregnant for the duration of the trial. A one-time 2,000 Pakistani rupees ($12) compensation for travel and food expenses is provided, Khan said.
The trial's end point, Khan said, is flexible, but one goal is to show the vaccine is 50% more effective than a placebo.
Once proven, Khan said it was expected Pakistan would be provided with several million doses on a priority basis by CanSinoBio.
Pakistan’s National Institute of Health, which is overseeing the trial, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Pakistan reported 541 new cases on Tuesday - taking the total to 312,263 with 6,479 deaths.
Pakistani doctor urges people to volunteer for COVID-19 vaccine trial
https://arab.news/bnebb
Pakistani doctor urges people to volunteer for COVID-19 vaccine trial
- Volunteers must be over 18, not have tested positive for COVID-19
- The trial's end point, is flexible, but one goal is to show the vaccine is 50% more effective than a placebo, says doctor Ejaz Khan
Pakistan military says ex-PM Khan’s narrative has become ‘threat to national security’
- Military spokesperson responds to Khan’s fresh criticism of Pakistan’s powerful army chief, whom he accuses of denying him basic rights
- Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry warns army will “come bare knuckle” if Khan and his party do not desist from attacking military leadership
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that former prime minister Imran Khan’s narrative against the armed forces has become a “national security threat,” warning him and his party to keep the army out of political statements.
Chaudhry’s criticism comes in response to Khan’s latest statement, released by his account on social media platform X on Thursday, in which he blamed Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir for “the complete collapse of the constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.”
Khan, who was ousted via a parliamentary vote in April 2022, blames the country’s powerful army for colluding with his political rivals to keep him away from power. He blames the military and the incumbent government for keeping him in solitary confinement in a central prison in Rawalpindi. Pakistan’s military and the government have strongly rejected his claims.
“It may seem to you a bit strange coming from me this because that person [Khan] and the narrative he is pushing, it has become a national security threat,” Chaudhry told reporters at a news conference.
“And that is why it is very important that we come clear, without any ambiguity, without any doubt. We need to come clear and we need to say what needs to be said,” he added.
Throughout the press conference, Chaudhry kept referring to the former prime minister as a “mentally ill” person. He played video clips of Indian news channels and Afghanistan’s social media accounts promoting Khan’s statements against the military.
“Why would they not do it? Because sitting in your country, a mindset, a mentally ill person sitting here is saying these things against the military and its leadership,” he said.
The military spokesperson warned Khan and his party against criticizing the military. He added that while the military welcomes constructive criticism, it should be kept away from political statements.
“If someone for the sake of his own self, his delusional mindset and narcissistic thinking attacks this armed forces and its leadership, then we will also come bare knuckle,” he warned.
“There should be no doubt on that.”
Khan, who remains in prison on a slew of charges that he says are politically motivated, continues to be popular among the masses.
His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has frequently led rallies to demand his release from jail, including one in May 2023 and another in November 2024 that saw clashes with law enforcement personnel.
While the former prime minister continues to remain behind bars, rallies organized by the PTI still draw thousands of people across the country and his party still enjoys a sizable following on social media platforms.
