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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will receive 2.8 million doses of Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on March 2 from the international vaccine alliance, COVAX, health minister Faisal Sultan has said as the country announced the launch of a vaccination programme for citizens aged over 65.
Pakistan this month started the anti-coronavirus vaccination drive with 500,000 doses of Sinopharm’s vaccine donated by its ally China.
The country said it will launch the vaccination programme for citizens aged over 65 in the first week of next month.
Sultan said that COVAX would provide 2.8 million doses of Oxford AstraZeneca on March 2, enabling the vaccination of older people.
He said Pakistan was among those 65 countries where vaccination has begun while the process could not be started in 110 countries. He said so far 52,000 health workers have been vaccinated.
“Age group of over 65 years is being given priority because the majority of deaths, out of 12,488 till date, have been reported in this age group,” he said.
Meanwhile, another 1,245 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Friday, bringing the country’s total infection count to 568,506.
The country also reported 40 patients more deaths, taking the death toll to 12,527.
Pakistan this month started the anti-coronavirus vaccination drive with 500,000 doses of Sinopharm’s vaccine donated by its ally China.
The country said it will launch the vaccination programme for citizens aged over 65 in the first week of next month.
Sultan said that COVAX would provide 2.8 million doses of Oxford AstraZeneca on March 2, enabling the vaccination of older people.
He said Pakistan was among those 65 countries where vaccination has begun while the process could not be started in 110 countries. He said so far 52,000 health workers have been vaccinated.
“Age group of over 65 years is being given priority because the majority of deaths, out of 12,488 till date, have been reported in this age group,” he said.
Meanwhile, another 1,245 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Friday, bringing the country’s total infection count to 568,506.
The country also reported 40 patients more deaths, taking the death toll to 12,527.
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