ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm, a minister said on Thursday, the first official confirmation of a vaccine purchase by the South Asian country as it battles a second wave of infections.
China approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm on Thursday, its first approved shot for general public use.
“The Cabinet Committee has decided to initially purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinopharm, which will be provided free of cost to frontline workers in the first quarter of 2021,” Pakistani Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Twitter.
Pakistan had earlier this month approved $150 million in funding to buy COVID-19 vaccines, initially to cover the most vulnerable 5% of the population.
The country did not announce which vaccine it would procure, but said a panel of experts was compiling a list of recommendations and that it could tap more than one source.
“If the private sector wants to import any other internationally-approved vaccine, it can do so,” Hussain said on Thursday.
The country of 220 million is in the midst of another spate of infections, with 58 deaths on Wednesday taking its death toll past 10,000.
It also reported 2,475 new infections, taking the total to 479,715.
Pakistan is also running phase III clinical trials for CanSino Biologics’ COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Ad5-nCoV, led by the government-run National Institute of Health.
Pakistan to purchase 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm
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Pakistan to purchase 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm
- Doses will be provided free of cost to frontline workers in first quarter of 2021, Pakistan minister for science and technology said on Twitter
- This is the first official confirmation of a vaccine purchase by the South Asian country as it battles a second wave of infections
Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to complete Saudi biometrics till Sunday
- Saudi Arabia has allocated Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for this year’s Hajj
- Saudi biometric verification is mandatory for issuance of Hajj visas, ministry says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani religious affairs ministry has urged aspiring Hajj pilgrims to complete mandatory Saudi biometric verification for Hajj visas by Sunday, Pakistani state media reported, with preparations for the 2026 pilgrimage gathering pace following stricter oversight of the Hajj process.
Saudi Arabia has allocated Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026, with the majority of seats reserved under the government scheme and the remainder allocated to private tour operators.
Regulations for private Hajj operators have been tightened and their quota reduced following widespread complaints last year, when tens of thousands of pilgrims were unable to travel under the private Hajj scheme.
The Pakistani religious affairs ministry said last month that Saudi biometric verification is mandatory for the issuance of Hajj visas and pilgrims should complete it at home using the ‘Saudi Visa Bio’ app.
“Hajj visas will not be issued without biometrics, however pilgrims over 80 years of age are exempted from biometrics,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported, citing the religious affairs ministry.
Pakistan has been steadily implementing digital and procedural requirements for pilgrims ahead of Hajj 2026, including mandatory training sessions, biometric checks and greater use of mobile applications, as part of efforts to reduce mismanagement.
Pilgrims who were unable to complete biometric verification through the mobile application should visit designated Saudi Tasheer centers before Feb. 8, according to the religious affairs ministry.
Details of the centers are available on Pakistan’s official Hajj mobile application. Tasheer centers will remain open from 9am to 5pm today and on Sunday to facilitate Hajj pilgrims, it added.
