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China to Gift Pakistan 500K COVID-19 Vaccine Doses

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - Pakistan said Thursday it will receive half-a-million free
   doses of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine by January 31.

   Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made the announcement at a news
   conference, saying his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, shared the "good
   news" in a phone call between the two officials.
   "He told me, 'Send your aircraft and immediately airlift this drug.'
   So, this is a welcome news for us. And we will, God willing, succeed in
   saving many lives," Qureshi said.
   He stressed that the Chinese vaccine is being gifted to Islamabad as a
   "goodwill gesture" from Beijing "in view of the all-weather strategic
   relationship" between the two countries.
   Pakistan's drug regulator approved the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency
   use on Monday. China approved the drug earlier this month, which is
   also in use in several countries, including Bahrain and the United Arab
   Emirates.
   The Pakistani regulator last week also authorized the use of
   AstraZeneca's vaccine developed with Oxford University.

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