NIH vaccine to be available by May end

Islamabad: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has begun formulating and packing the single-dose coronavirus vaccine, CanSino Bio, promising its availability in the market by the end of the current month.

According to the NIH officials, after the import of the raw material for the vaccine's production from China, work has begun on the formulation and packing of the vaccine.

“The [locally packed] vaccine will be available by the end of May," an official said.

He said it would be able to prepare 100,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of the current month.

The official said the vaccine's raw material reached the country on May 4. "Raw material is enough to produce 120,000 doses of the CanSino Bio vaccine that has been imported from China," he said.

The NIH officials had earlier announced that Pakistan would start packaging the vaccine in May. They had said the arrangements to prepare CanSino Bio's coronavirus vaccine were already completed, adding that they were waiting for the raw material of the vaccine to arrive in Pakistan.

According to them, Chinese experts are present in Islamabad to help with the production of the vaccine. The officials said the NIH had started the venture in collaboration with a Chinese company.