RAWALPINDI: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday applauded the Chinese ambassador for his country’s contribution to Pakistan’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
China is one of the first countries that donated the coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan. The country is currently using mostly Chinese-made vaccines in its immunization drive.
- China donates 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine by Sinopharm to Pakistan.
- China has already donated 1.5mn doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan.
” General Qamar Javed Bajwa thanked the China’s contribution towards the fight against COVID-19 in Pakistan and said that Pakistan Army greatly respects friendly relationship with China.
During the meeting the two officials discussed ” the current situation of coronavirus pandemic and matters of mutual interest, recent developments in the Afghan peace process, progress on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and regional security, The ISPR said.
The two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) planes carrying coronavirus vaccine doses from China arrived in Islamabad.
According to the PIA spokesperson, over 300,000 coronavirus vaccine doses arrived from PK6852, while the second flight PK6853 also reached Islamabad with more than 300,000 doses. As stated by the national flag carrier, Boeing 777s are being used to bring the coronavirus vaccine doses from China.
A few days ago, a Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) official had said that the company provided its safety and efficacy data to the expert committee and on its recommendations, the approval for another Chinese vaccine will also be provided.
DRAP had granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) to another Chinese vaccine, CoronaVac.
The CoronaVac is a traditional vaccine, which can be stored at 2-8°C, which makes it ideal for countries like Pakistan where they don’t have ultra-cold chain refrigerators.
Moreover, Phase-III clinical trials of a triple-dose Chinese vaccine, developed by the Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Company Ltd, are also underway in Lahore, Faisalabad, and other cities of Pakistan.
