First AstraZeneca consignment via COVAX to ramp up vaccination in Pakistan
Pakistan on Saturday (May 8) received the first consignment of 1.2 million Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility.
The vaccine (SII-AZ AZD1222) consignment will be followed by another of 1,236,000 in a few days to support Pakistan government’s vaccination drive.
The 2.47 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be used to vaccinate about 1.24 million high-risk people in Pakistan against the coronavirus.
“In this unprecedented crisis, we appreciate COVAX and GAVI’s contribution to the collective effort to fight COVID-19 in Pakistan,” said Dr. Faisal Sultan, special assistant to the prime pinister on health.
“Recently, we’ve been administering almost 200,000 doses a day and we will be able to increase to 0.5 million doses a day very soon” he said urging everyone above the age of 40 to register and get vaccinated.
More than 3.3 million vaccine doses have been administered to healthcare workers and citizens at large.
Currently, the Pakistan government is vaccinating citizens above the age of 40 cthough an easy process. Citizens above the age of 50 can walk into the nearest center and get vaccinated. At-home vaccination services are also for senior citizens in some districts. Sinopharm, Sinovac, CanSino and Sputnik V vaccines have been administered in Pakistan so far.
Safety and efficacy
The Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine received by Pakistan have been manufactured by SK Bioscience in South Korea. “It has gone through rigorous processes to ensure safety and efficacy and has been given the greenlight by the World Health Organization to be rolled out globally” the statement said.
“This vaccine has gone through clinical trials and has been approved for use in Pakistan and around the world,” according to Dr. Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala, WHO representative in Pakistan.
COVAX to help vaccinate 20% of Pakistan
The goal of the COVAX Facility is to supply Pakistan with enough doses to vaccinate 20% of the population depending on availability.
COVAX is a global partnership co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), GAVI Vaccine Alliance, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), along with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to ensure rapid, fair and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
WHO has been supporting Pakistan by providing technical guidance and new tools needed to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to the spread of this new virus. “Today, we are delighted to receive the COVID-19 vaccine that will safely and effectively prevent needless suffering,” the WHO representative said. “Right now, WHO’s focus is on supporting Pakistan to end the pandemic, including with these new vaccines and the public health measures that have been the bedrock of the response for 15 months.”
“UNICEF commends the Government of Pakistan for its leadership in the national response to the pandemic, including the successful rollout of the national vaccination programme, and thanks the COVAX partners for their generous contribution. Solidarity is key to ending the pandemic. No one is safe until everyone is safe”, said Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.
“This delivery – the first of many – is the product of an unprecedented global partnership to ensure no country is left behind in the global race for COVID-19 vaccines,” said Alexa Reynolds, Gavi Senior Country Manager for Pakistan.
COVAX donor countries
Diplomatic missions in Islamabd and COVAX donors also attended the handover ceremony in Islamabad.
European Union: “We are proud to play our part in the global COVAX initiative, alongside our partners, as it helps to complement efforts where vaccines are needed. For the time being SOPs still need to be followed,” said Ms. Androulla Kaminara, Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan.
United Kingdom: “I’m proud of the UK’s role in developing the Oxford University AstraZeneca vaccine that Pakistan is receiving today. The UK is one of the world’s biggest contributors to the COVAX facility – donating £548m to make sure countries get the vaccines they need, including Pakistan,” said Dr. Christian Turner, British High Commissioner to Pakistan.
Germany: “Today’s arrival of the first COVAX batch in Pakistan is an important milestone for fighting this pandemic together. It is also a strong token of multilateralism and international solidarity at its best. Germany, as second largest donor, is proud of contributing to the COVAX facility more than 1.5 billion EUR because we are convinced: An inclusive global access to vaccines is the need of the hour and nobody is safe until everyone is safe!” said Dr. Philipp Deichmann, Charge d’Affaires /DHM, Embassy of Germany in Pakistan.
United States: The US embassy in Pakistan welcomed the successful arrival in Pakistan of 1.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. “This pandemic has shown the importance of partnerships, such as the longstanding partnership between the United States and Pakistan, which has enabled us to more effectively respond to this health crisis together” said U.S. Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P. Aggeler.
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