Pakistan targets corona vaccination for 70m people by year end: govt

ISLAMABAD: The procurement of vaccine has become problematic even for developed countries, but Pakistani authorities have envisaged targets to ensure vaccination for 70 million people by end of this ongoing calendar year.

India had slapped a ban on exporting its vaccine so it created difficulties for Pakistan because Islamabad had earlier envisaged plans to procure maximum vaccine from its neighbouring country.

However, Pakistani authorities made alternate plans and seemed confident that the daily vaccination would soon touch 100,000 persons per day basis. They are expecting that the vaccination per day might go up to 200,000 per day in coming weeks and months as it was getting momentum in the country. They would be able to meet growing requirement of vaccine on daily basis.

The PTI-led government has so far approved $150 million for procurement of vaccine for COVID-19 pandemic and another formal summary will be forwarded to get approval of $90 million for this purpose obtained from Islamic Development Bank. In totality, the allocated amount will go up to $240 million for obtaining vaccine that had become a scarce thing for all countries including for western world.

When contacted, Minister for Planning and Chairman of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Asad Umar said that Pakistan had so far procured 6 million vaccine doses and Islamabad also bought vaccines as well as obtaining from donors.

He said that money was not the constraint for procuring vaccine but its availability had become problematic. He said many Pakistanis living abroad were contacting for making contributions but the government is informing them that please send vaccine as we don’t need financial resources for it.

He said that the federal cabinet had approved $150 million for procurement of vaccine and the government bought maximum doses of vaccines by utilising our own resources. He said that another $90 million would be provided for procurement of more vaccines so the total money would be increased to $240 million. “The availability of vaccine had become problematic but we will ensure its availability in our country,” he added.

Asad Umar said the government procured 6 million vaccines so far but the private sector had just brought 60,000 vaccine doses only. He said the private sector could bring the vaccine if they could procure it from anywhere.

The minister cited example of Canada and stated that they allocate higher per capita amount for procurement of vaccines and were dependent to procure from US, but Washington preferred to vaccine its own people first so now Canada was facing problem to get it from other parts of the world.

Asad Umar said that after slapping ban on exporting vaccine by India, it became problematic but now the government made alternate plans with the hope that the target of providing vaccines to 70 million people would be achieved by end of current calendar year by December 31, 2021.

The NCOC chairman said there was requirement for providing vaccines to people over 18 years of age and Pakistan required to provide vaccination to almost 100 million people, but it was estimated that after excluding pregnant women or severe infected people, Pakistan had to vaccine almost 70 million people. He said the vaccine will be available soon and the government will be in search of those who had not vaccinated.

“It would be challenging for the government to convince whole population to get vaccinated,” he said, and added that they made arrangements for vaccinating people through mobile vehicles, but in rural parts, people were reluctant to get vaccinated.

He said there will be requirement to launch awareness campaign so that all people can be convinced to get vaccinated.