Pakistan mulls over vaccinating people under 18

ISLAMABAD: The government is considering vaccinating adolescents under 18 years of age, sources said Saturday, as it aims to inoculate 70 percent of the population by year's end.

Sources in the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination said the National Institute of Health, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, and other institutions were deliberating over the matter.

The institutions are expected to come up with a strategy in this regard by the end of this week, the sources said.

In the first phase, adolescents from 15-18 years will be inoculated, while in the second phase, teenagers from 12-15 years will get the jab.

Pakistan has received the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines through COVAX, which have been approved in several countries for inoculating children under 18 years of age.

To date, Pakistan has administered vaccines to more than 29 million people — six million completely vaccinated and nearly 23.3 million people partially vaccinated.