ISLAMABAD: A special Pakistan Air Force plane carrying 500,000 doses of the Chinese SinoVac COVID-19 vaccine landed at the Nur Khan Airbase in Islamabad, said foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri in a Twitter post on Thursday.
According to a brief statement issued by the National Command and Operation Center, the vaccine was not donated by the authorities in Beijing but was procured by the Pakistani government.
Pakistan began its vaccination drive earlier this year by prioritizing its frontline health workers and elderly citizens after receiving the first batch of China's Sinopharm vaccine as a gift from its longtime ally in the beginning of February.
The country mostly utilized the same vaccine to run its immunization campaign, though the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) also authorized the emergency use of China's Convidecia, United Kingdom's AstraZeneca and Russia's Sputnik V vaccines.
DRAP also approved the SinoVac vaccine earlier this month, even as it was said to have a low efficacy rate.
Pakistan is currently experiencing the third wave of the pandemic which has been described by the authorities as more dangerous than the ones before.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday met with his planning minister Asad Umar and advisor on health Dr. Faisal Sultan to discuss the coronavirus situation in the country.
According to the local media, Khan called a meeting on Friday to coordinate the government's strategy to fight COVID-19 which will also be attended by provincial chief ministers and secretaries.
The country's planning minister already maintained in a news conference on Wednesday that the COVID-19 positivity rate had reached alarming proportions in all major urban centers, adding that the government could impose strict restrictions to curb the spread of the disease.
Umar also said that any decision on possible lockdowns could be announced on Friday.
Pakistan receives 500,000 SinoVac COVID-19 vaccination doses from China
https://arab.news/26kkq
Pakistan receives 500,000 SinoVac COVID-19 vaccination doses from China
- The country's drug regulatory authority gave authorization for emergency use of the vaccine despite its relatively low efficacy
- Local media says PM Khan has called a meeting on Friday to discuss the government's strategy to fight COVID-19
International Cricket Council in talks to revive India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash
- Pakistan face two-point loss and net run-rate hit if they forfeit Feb. 15 match
- ICC seeks dialogue after Pakistan boycott clash citing government directive
NEW DELHI, India: The International Cricket Council is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board to resolve the boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India on February 15, AFP learnt Saturday.
Any clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsor and advertising revenue.
But the fixture was thrown into doubt after Pakistan’s government ordered the team not to play the match in Colombo.
The Pakistan Cricket Board reached out to the ICC after a formal communication from the cricket’s world body, a source close to the developments told AFP.
The ICC was seeking a resolution through dialogue and not confrontation, the source added.
The 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up after Bangladesh, who refused to play in India citing security concerns, were replaced by Scotland.
As a protest, Pakistan refused to face co-hosts India in their Group A fixture.
Pakistan, who edged out Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, will lose two points if they forfeit the match and also suffer a significant blow to their net run rate.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said this week that his team would travel to Colombo for the clash.
Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade, and meet only in global or regional tournaments.
