ISLAMABAD: Pakistani planning minister Asad Umar, who also heads the federal pandemic response body, said on Friday the government had achieved its goal of 70 million vaccinations for 2021.
Pakistan, with a population of 220 million, rolled out its national vaccine campaign in February, prioritizing healthcare workers and the elderly. It has since expanded its campaign to include the entire eligible population.
A government portal on Friday showed 70.5 million Pakistanis had been fully vaccinated so far.
“Praise be to God, the goal of complete vaccination of 70 million people by the end of 2021 has been achieved,” Umar, who heads the National Command and Operation Centre against the coronavirus, said on Twitter.
“I am grateful for the tireless work of the NCOC team, the federal and provincial administrations and the health teams on the special tour. The hard work of all these people achieved a goal that people thought was impossible.”
The media wing of the Pakistan army, which has assisted the government in its pandemic response, said the federal government had procured vaccines worth nearly Rs250 billion.
“100% of vaccine procurement done by the federal government, which has provided free vaccines to all citizens regardless of which province they live in,” the media wing said. “Of the total eligible population 46% is fully vaccinated and 63% has received at least one dose.”
Pakistan has reported a total of 1.2 million coronavirus cases since February last year, and 28,927 deaths.
