In This Post:
Paid Booster Shots for Travellers Available
China Promises Free Vaccines to Pakistan
Pakistan to Produce Its Own COVID Vaccine
Free Coronavirus Vaccine in Pakistan
Coronavirus Vaccination Centres in Pakistan
How to Get Coronavirus Vaccine in Pakistan
Approved COVID-19 Vaccines
Update (Nov. 29, 2021): The government of Sindh has recently announced a fully-fledged campaign to re-inoculate fully vaccinated individuals with booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine. Many different vaccination centres across Karachi and other cities in Sindh will administer the booster shot campaign.
The booster jab would be offered to those people who were immunised against the coronavirus with the doses of Chinese vaccines, namely Sinopharm, Sinovac and Cansino. As of now, the booster jabs of the Pfizer vaccine are being administered at the Dow University of Health Sciences and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. They will soon be available in other vaccination centres in Karachi as well.
Update: (Sept. 02, 2021): Pakistan is now administering millions of Covid-19 vaccine doses on a daily basis. The surge in vaccinations nationwide is mainly because of the stricter restrictions imposed by the government against unvaccinated individuals. They will not be allowed to attend weddings, enter shopping malls, restaurants, and cinemas among other recreational venues for the general public.
The Covid-19 vaccination drive has also been introduced for teenagers above 17 years in the country. Details regarding the vaccination drive targeting teenagers were shared by the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan in a press conference.
“From September 1, teenagers over 17 years of age will be allowed to get the first dose and will have to get one dose by September 15. They will have to be fully vaccinated by October 15, otherwise, they will not be allowed in educational institutions. After that, 16 years to 17 years age group and then 15 years to 16 years age group will be allowed to get vaccinated. Dates for vaccination of other two groups [from 15 to 17] will be announced soon,” Dr. Sultan stated while addressing the media.
For all the latest updates on the Covid-19 vaccination drive in Pakistan, continue reading this blog.
Update (May 27, 2021): Federal Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar has announced that NCOC is finally opening COVID-19 vaccine registration for people aged 19 years and above from May 27, 2021. He tweeted this update from his official account yesterday. This is what the tweet says:
The government has also announced that the Chinese CanSino vaccine, which requires only a single dose, is now being produced locally at the National Institute of Health (NIH). According to a tweet from the Government of Pakistan’s official Twitter account, the local authorities are targeting to produce about three million doses every month, which would bring down the country’s dependency on imported vaccines. Check out the tweet below:
Update (May 17, 2021): Pakistan has just opened Covid-19 vaccine registrations for individuals aged over 30 years. According to the NCOC Chief Asad Umar, there has been a significant increase in vaccine supply, which has evidently improved Pakistan’s vaccination capacity. It is because of this noteworthy development that the authorities are now capable of expediting the entire vaccination process.
“As vaccine supply continues to improve and vaccination capacity gets enhanced in all Federating units, we continue to expand the categories of those who are eligible to get vaccinated. Starting Sunday the 16th of May, registration will be open to all 30 years and older citizens,” said Asad Umar in his official tweet.
According to Our World in Data, which is an international organization, nearly one million people have been fully vaccinated in Pakistan and almost three million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Stay tuned for more updates!
Update (April 6, 2021): The Sindh Government will start vaccinating prisoners above 50 years from April 7, 2021. According to a recent news article from a renowned publication, more than 2,000 prisoners across the province will receive coronavirus vaccine doses under this upcoming vaccination drive.
Update (April 5, 2021): The Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar has announced the launch of the home vaccination service in Punjab in a press conference in Lahore. The operations of this mobile coronavirus vaccination drive will be carried out with the help of an ambulance service.
According to CM Punjab, an additional one million COVID-19 vaccine doses would be purchased by the provincial government soon to bring down the increasing number of virus cases across the region. The home vaccination service in Punjab is to aid aged and differently-abled people.
Pakistan is also planning to develop its own vaccine. According to a recent news article of a renowned international publication, one of Pakistan’s biggest pharmaceutical companies has entered into an agreement with a Chinese firm to manufacture the coronavirus vaccine locally.
Update (March 5, 2021): As per the latest tweet by Asad Umar, who heads the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), the coronavirus vaccination drive for senior citizens of Pakistan, aged 60 or above, will begin from March 10, 2021. The total number of senior citizens in the country is around eight million, out of which only 180,000 have been registered for the vaccination so far.
According to the Ministry of National Health Services officials, Pakistan requires COVID-19 doses to vaccinate 100 million people. After the vaccination drive for elderly citizens, the health authorities will start vaccinating younger people. As per the recent statement made by the state health officials, people below 18 years of age are not required to be vaccinated.
By June 2021, Pakistan is expected to receive 10 million vaccine doses from COVAX, which is a global initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure the provision of vaccines to the most severely affected countries by the pandemic.
Update: (Feb. 15, 2021): Asad Umar, the federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, tweeted on Monday about the opening of Covid-19 vaccine registrations for senior citizens aged 65 and above.
Citizens can get their name enrolled for the coronavirus vaccine by simply sending their CNIC number as a text message to 1166. The vaccination campaign for elderly citizens will begin in March and will further be expanded to vaccinate people above 60 years of age.
Update (February 03, 2021): Addressing the launch of the vaccination drive on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked China for delivering the first batch of Sinopharm vaccine to Pakistan, which comprises 500,000 vaccination doses.
Reiterating the official statement that came out earlier this year, he said that the vaccination campaign would first target the healthcare workers followed by the elderly people who are potentially at higher risk of catching COVID-19 due to a weaker immune system.
The premier also stated that the doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine have already been distributed among different provinces for an adequate launch of a nationwide coronavirus vaccine campaign.
Recognised as one of the most contagious and deadliest viruses of human history, the outbreak of coronavirus has triggered a full-scale, extremely hazardous global pandemic. After becoming a host of thousands of active coronavirus cases and witnessing hundreds of fatalities through all these months, Pakistan also stands among the most adversely affected nations by the pandemic situation.
The ever-mutating nature of COVD-19 has made it way too difficult to be tackled, unlike any other virus. Healthcare experts from all over the world have been working on the coronavirus vaccine ever since the beginning of the pandemic. Finally, after months of untiring effort, significant progress is now being made in terms of the development of the coronavirus vaccine.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), many different types of coronavirus vaccines are currently in their trial phases. This global healthcare institution is jointly working with health experts and scientists from around the world to expedite the process of the development of the coronavirus vaccine to end this global pandemic.
In Pakistan, the National Command Operation Centre (NOC) in collaboration with multiple healthcare institutions serving at federal and provincial levels is actively responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. The NCOC also keeps a constant track of the active coronavirus cases to provide necessary aid to the infected people and plan actions accordingly.
Along with undertaking all necessary precautions to prevent the deadly virus from spreading, the authorities are now also looking forward to launching countrywide COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. So, let’s learn about all the important updates regarding the phases of testing, development, and availability of the coronavirus vaccine in Pakistan.
Government Introduces Paid Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shots for Travellers
The Ministry of National Health Services in Pakistan in collaboration with the National Command and Operation Centres (NCOC) has recently introduced the Covid-19 vaccine booster shot campaign for local citizens and foreigners in the country who have plans to travel abroad.
Vaccination Centres Introduced Nationwide for Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Dose in Pakistan
The government is planning to have multiple Covid-19 vaccination centres (CVC) offering the facility of booster shots to individuals.
“A total of 21 dedicated CVCs will be established in 18 major cities across Pakistan. Other Covid-19 vaccines will be administered in these CVCs also,” says a post shared on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of National Health Services.
Eligibility Criteria for Booster Dose in Pakistan (As Documented By the Minister of National Health Services)
Details about the eligibility criteria to get a booster dose in Pakistan have been given as under:
International travelers, 12 years of age and above, with the mandatory requirement of a specific vaccine, can get additional dose(s) after showing valid travel documents and evidence of the intended travel. Photocopies of all required documents to be deposited at the CVC.
The following individuals may be eligible to get booster doses:
- Working professionals and students who require a booster shot to go abroad
- Pakistanis who are residents of other countries and require evidence of a specific mandatory vaccine
- Individuals on a business/official trip
- Tourists and all types of expatriates
- Those going for Hajj/Umrah
Note: Partially and fully vaccinated people can get 1 or 2 doses as per the requirement of their travel destination.
Charges to get a Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shot in Pakistan
According to the official guidelines released by the concerned authorities, the chargers of a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot is PKR 1,270, which you can easily deposit at your nearest brank of the National Bank of Pakistan.
The amount should be deposited before getting a booster jab. While depositing the amount, you need to present all the required documents that make you eligible for the vaccine booster. Show the deposit slip upon visiting your desired CVC to get your booster dose.
COVID-19 Vaccine Aid from China
According to the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan, China—the country’s friendliest neighbour—has promised to provide around 500 thousand coronavirus vaccines free of cost. The vaccine supply will be brought to Pakistan in a special aircraft.
Created by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, the vaccine named “Sinopharm” has already been approved by Pakistani drug regulatory authorities. The supply of the first batch of the Sinopharm vaccine will be delivered by the end of January 2021.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs further stated that China has promised to provide Pakistan with another 1.1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine to effectively aid the country in its fight against the pandemic situation.
Pakistan to Produce COVID-19 Vaccine Locally
According to the latest updates on the coronavirus vaccine in Pakistan, a phase of clinical testing and experimentation is underway. After successful trials of the Chinese coronavirus vaccine, Pakistan also wants to produce vaccines locally. Such efforts will aid the government in its cause of the provision of efficacious coronavirus treatments among the masses.
Availability of Free-of-cost Coronavirus Vaccine in Pakistan
The Ministry of the National Health Services (NHS) has stated that Pakistan is likely to be among the developing economies struggling with the coronavirus pandemic to get free doses of COVID-19 vaccinations.
COVAX, which is a global facility established by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi)—a coalition of WHO and Epidemic Preparedness Innovations—has assured the Pakistani authorities that the 20% of the country’s population will be provided with free vaccines.
The National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) in collaboration with the concerned authorities will get started with vaccination drives across the country as soon as the vaccines are available.
Pakistan to Provide First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine to Frontline Healthcare Workers for Free!
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has opened registrations for COVID-19 vaccination in Pakistan since January 10, 2021, for frontline healthcare workers. Staff members serving in both public and private healthcare institutions will be receiving the very first doses of coronavirus vaccines in Pakistan free of charge.
Such initiative has been taken as a gesture to express gratitude and honor the efforts of the real-life heroes, who are constantly fighting the battle against the deadly coronavirus on the frontline.
Coronavirus Vaccination Centres in Pakistan
Another major breakthrough in terms of eradication of the novel coronavirus in Pakistan is the establishment of the COVID-19 vaccination centres across the country. The Health Ministry of Pakistan has adequately trained the vaccinators to make sure that proper treatments are given to the coronavirus patients in the facility. Also, the citizens may also be required to get themselves registered for the vaccination process by sending their CNIC number to 1166, the coronavirus helpline centre in Pakistan.
How to Get Coronavirus Vaccine in Pakistan
If you want to get the coronavirus vaccine in Pakistan, here’s the eight-step process formulated by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
For more details in this regard, read our complete guide on how to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan.
COVID-19 Vaccines Approved by Pakistani Healthcare Authorities
These Covid-19 vaccines have been approved so far by the concerned healthcare authorities in Pakistan.
- Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine
- UK’s Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
- China’s Sinopharm, CanSino Bio and Sinovac vaccines
- Germany’s Pfizer vaccine
- USA’s Moderna vaccine
Now that we have given you all the latest updates regarding the availability of the coronavirus vaccine in Pakistan, it’s time for us to wrap up this piece. If you have any questions or feedback related to our blog post, feel free to write to us at blog@zameen.com.
Also, if you want to learn more about the list of hospitals and facilities for coronavirus testing in Pakistan, don’t forget to take a look at our detailed blog post on it.
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