Formulation And Packaging Of Chinese-Made CanSino Vaccine Convidecia Begun In Pakistan, Confirmed Federal Parliamentary Health Secretary.
The Formulation And Packaging Of The Chinese-Made CanSino Bio Vaccine Convidecia Has Begun In Pakistan, Confirmed Federal Parliamentary Health Secretary Dr Nausheen Hamid Friday. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine that will be prepared in the country. The single-dose vaccine is being prepared at the National Institute of Health with the help of Chinese experts.
A total of 160,000 Cansino vaccine dose concentrates are available in Pakistan, Dr Hamid said. “These will be ready by the end of this month.” The country had signed an agreement for a total of three million Cansino doses, she added. In the trials conducted in Pakistan, the Cansino shot had an efficacy of 74.8% at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 cases and 100% for preventing severe disease. “By tomorrow [May 8] consignments of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine (Covishield) will also reach Pakistan,” the parliamentary secretary said.
We have signed agreements for 30 million vaccine doses with different companies, she added, commenting on the country’s vaccination programme. By June, we’ll receive 19.8 million doses. The government’s plan is to inoculate 70 million people–around 70% of the vaccine-eligible adult population–by the end of 2021. “We have a whole plan in place according to population and vaccination centres,” Dr Hamid said, adding that backup vaccines were available in case of shortages.
On Friday, shortages of the Cansino and Sinovac vaccines were reported in Punjab. The Punjab government stopped administering the after the province exhausted its supply of both shots. The federal parliamentary secretary, however, insisted that the National Command and Operation Centre had data of vaccines at different centres, and any shortages might be specific to a certain centre. She confirmed that vaccination for everyone over 18 years would start after Eid.
This news was originally published at Samaa.