‘Sputnik V’ Coming Soon to Pakistan For Commercial Use
The first shipment of the vaccine will be delivered within few weeks and make Pakistan one of the first countries to market vaccine shots privately
After a rough year battling the coronavirus, Pakistanis have received news that is a beacon of hope amid the pandemic situation. The number of active cases of covid-19 in the country has been reduced by half during the last two-and-a-half months while the country will soon receive Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccines for commercial sale.
According to the Chughtai Lab officials, the first shipment of the vaccine will be delivered within few weeks. This will make Pakistan one of the first countries to market vaccine shots privately.
During the second wave of the pandemic, the active cases have started to decline as compared to the first wave of covid-19.
The number of active cases had surpassed 50,000 tally in December 2020. Later, the cases dropped to 25,635 (51.27pc) the following month.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar, announced the registration process for covid-19 vaccines has become operational for senior citizens.
Pleased to announce that registration for getting covid vaccine is now open for all citizens 65 and above. Just write down ur CNIC number and send message on 1166. Inshallah vaccinations for this age group will start in march
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) February 15, 2021
According to official data, 25% of ventilators in Peshawar, 30% in Islamabad, and 37% in Lahore are being used.
Sputnik V is one of four vaccines approved for emergency use in Pakistan by the Drug and Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), in addition to those by China’s Sinopharm and CanSinoBio, and the AstraZeneca-Oxford University shot.
Read Also
Pakistan Opts For Over 90% Effective Sputnik-V Vaccine
A mass vaccination drive has already been launched in Pakistan with 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine donated by China.
Although Chughtai officials denied specifying the import cost or retail price of the vaccine shots, the developers of Sputnik V have said to sell a two-dose vaccine at $10 per dose, which is equivalent to Rs1,600 locally.
Globally, the biggest challenge is the allocation of vaccines to specific countries and their rates which are expected to abate as more vaccines will become available.
Sputnik V will be imported through Pakistani firm Ali Gohar Pharmaceuticals Pvt.
