Pfizer vaccine only for people with weak immunity: health ministry
It was earlier reserved for Hajj pilgrims, overseas students, workers
A man receives the COVID-19 shot at a mass vaccination centre in Islamabad. Photo: Online
The Pakistan government has changed its guidelines for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. It will now only be used to inoculate people with weak immune systems.
The National Ministry of Health has said the decision has been made taking in view the agreement with COVAX.
Pakistan had earlier reserved the Pfizer COVID-19 for Hajj pilgrims, people with work visas and students studying abroad.
The federal government has started distributing the vaccine to provinces.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said the Pfizer vaccine will be distributed in 15 cities nationwide for people with low immunity.
Pakistan has received 106,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine through COVAX. In the first phase 51,000 doses will be divided among the provinces. Here’s the breakdown:
- Punjab: 26,000
- Sindh 12,000
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 8,000
- Balochistan: 2,000
- Islamabad: 1,000
- Azad Jammu and Kashmir: 100
- Gilgit-Baltistan 1,000
Dr Sultan said that the Pfizer shot will be available at government vaccination centres for the time being and the government would soon buy more doses.
Sindh is expected to start administering the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to pregnant women and students enrolled in foreign universities in the next two to three days, Sindh Health Secretary Qasim Soomro said on Monday.
More than 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in the country last Friday. They were provided to Pakistan free of cost through COVAX, the WHO vaccine-sharing alliance.
COVID-19 vaccination in Pakistan
Pakistan will open walk-in vaccinations for people above 18 years from June 11.
The decision was announced by the National Command and Operation Centre on Wednesday.
The country officially began administering the coronavirus vaccine to everyone aged 19 or older on June 3.
Covid-19 vaccination centres will be closed on Sunday now onward. They will stay open on Friday instead.
Timings for the centres will be 8am to 10pm from June 11.
Vaccination will be mandatory for all government and private employees, the NCOC said.
