LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to procure 120 special refrigerators to store Pfizer and Moderna vaccines since only five districts of the province have the required cold storage facility that meets the standards approved by the World Health Organization, a senior official involved in the province’s vaccination drive told Arab News on Friday.
“We have placed an order for 120 Iceland Refrigerators,” said Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, spokesperson for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in Punjab. “However, the procurement process can take about two to three months.”
He informed that there were only five “ultracold storage units” for Pfizer and Moderna in major urban centers like Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujranwala etc.
Asked about the vaccine wastage in the province due to insufficient cold storage facilities, he only admitted to “open vial wastage” in which left-over doses are discarded if they are not administered within six hours after the vial is opened.
According to media reports, more than 38,000 doses of vaccine had gone to a waste in Punjab. However, a health department official recently told a local news outlet that the figure summed up the wastage of the last five months which amounted to 0.37 percent of the total supply and was considered normal.
The EPI national program manager, Dr. Akram Shah, also confirmed insufficient number of ultracold storage units in the province.
“There are two types of vaccines in the country which are being administered to people,” he said. “Sinovac, Sinopharm and CanSino require two to eight degrees Celsius while vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna need minus 18 degrees Celsius.”
He also informed that there were only 15 ultracold storage units in the entire country, three of them in Islamabad, two in Karachi and one each in Swat, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore and Hyderabad.
“We are likely to face similar problem with Sputnik V,” he said. “In fact, the Russian vaccine is unique since it requires minus 18 degrees Celsius right from the time of its manufacturing until it is administration to people.”
Shah confirmed that another batch of 100,000 Sputnik V shots was expected to arrive in Pakistan on July 10.
“Twenty ultracold storage units are also likely to reach the country on July 12,” he added while confirming that they would be installed in the same urban centers which already have the required storage facilities.
The EPI official also attributed the wastage of over 38,000 doses to the same technical reason.
“One vial normally contains 11 to 15 doses of vaccine,” Shah said. “Once it is opened, it needs to be used within six to 12 hours. We cannot make people wait until a sufficiently large crowd gathers at the vaccine center before opening a vial. Therefore, such wastage is a routine matter.”
Punjab to procure special refrigerators for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — health officials
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Punjab to procure special refrigerators for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — health officials
- The country’s most densely populated province lacks enough cold storage facilities that meet the approved standards of the World Health Organization
- A senior Punjab health official says Pakistan will receive a batch of 100,000 Sputnik V vaccines on July 10
Australia says father and son carried out Sydney beach attack as Pakistan condemns violence
- Australian authorities say at least 15 people were killed in the shooting, including a 10-year-old girl
- Pakistan says it stands in solidarity with Australia, condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations
ISLAMABAD: Australian authorities said on Monday a father and son carried out a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Jewish festival, as Pakistan expressed solidarity with Australia and condemned the attack that claimed at least 15 lives.
Police said the 50-year-old father was shot dead at the scene while his 24-year-old son was wounded and taken into custody after the gunmen opened fire on crowds gathered for a Hanukkah celebration at the popular beach.
“We want to get to the bottom of this,” New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Monday. “We want to understand the motives behind it.”
A 10-year-old girl was among the 15 dead in Australia’s worst mass shooting for almost 30 years, while 42 more were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds and other injuries.
Pakistan’s government said it stood with Australia following the shooting, reiterating its opposition to such incidents amid renewed militant violence at home.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the victims and said Pakistan condemned “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
President Asif Ali Zardari also conveyed sympathy to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
“Pakistan itself a victim of terrorism, stands in solidarity with & condemns violence against innocent civilians,” he said.
Pakistan has faced a resurgence in militant attacks in recent months, particularly in its northwest. On Sunday, Sharif praised security forces after they killed 13 militants in two separate operations in the Mohmand and Bannu districts, according to a statement from his office.
Australian police said the attackers fired from a raised boardwalk overlooking the beach, sending people fleeing in panic. Authorities later discovered what they described as an improvised explosive device in a vehicle parked near the scene, which they believe was linked to the attackers.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said tougher gun controls may be needed, including limits on the number of firearms an individual can own, after police confirmed the father held licenses for six weapons believed to have been used in the attack.
Mass shootings have been rare in Australia since sweeping gun law reforms were introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, but Albanese said the latest attack required authorities to reassess whether existing controls remained sufficient.
With input from AFP
