For a fee, travelers can now get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani nationals who want to travel abroad and require additional vaccination can get a booster shot at designated facilities after paying Rs1,270 per dose, said an official notification issued by the country's health ministry on Friday.
The country's planning minister and health chief had already announced the decision during a joint news conference on Tuesday.
However, the cost of the additional coronavirus vaccine only became public after the health ministry circulated the notification.
"In pursuance of [the] National Command and Operation Center's decision taken in its meeting held on 24th August, 2021, additional vaccination to travelers will be administered at selected Public Corona Vaccination Centers (CVCs) on payment," it said. "The fee of the booster dose of vaccines shall be Rs. 1,270/- per dose."
The notification further said people should deposit the amount in the National Bank of Pakistan before getting the additional shot.
Pakistan's health chief Dr. Faisal Sultan clarified during his news conference earlier this week other people were still not required to pay anything to benefit from the official immunization campaign.
However, he added that the government would charge a nominal amount for the booster shot to travelers since the measure was not to prevent the spread of the disease but to meet international travel requirements.
The country's top health official also announced the government was considering the possibility of giving a booster shot to elderly health workers along with immunocompromised individuals after October 1.
Tens of thousands of Pakistani students and workers travel to other countries every year, though this movement became somewhat restricted after the emergence of the global pandemic.
Pakistani workers in other countries also make a significant contribution to their national economy by sending large sums of money to their home country.
During the last fiscal year, the Pakistani diaspora community remitted about $30 billion, according to official records.