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Pakistan Secures 17 Million Doses of AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - Pakistan announced Saturday it has secured 17 million doses
   of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine through the World Health
   Organization's COVAX program to vaccinate its citizens against
   COVID-19.

   Additionally, the government said, a plane will fly to China on Sunday
   to airlift an initial tranche of the 500,000 doses of Chinese Sinopharm
   vaccine Beijing has gifted to Islamabad.

   The coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan, a country of about 220 million
   people, is relatively under control. The South Asian nation detected
   the outbreak nearly a year ago and has since documented more than
   543,000 confirmed COVD-19 cases, with close to 12,000 deaths.

   Dr. Faisal Sultan, special health assistant to the prime minister, said
   Saturday that almost seven million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine will
   be available for Pakistani citizens in the first quarter of the year
   and the rest within the second quarter of 2021.

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