Pakistan has launched its first locally-processed anti-coronavirus vaccine PakVac, developed with the help of China. Read on to find out everything about it.
China helps Pakistan develop PakVac
Pakistan on June 2 launched its very own COVID-19 vaccine called PakVac in order to vaccinate the country and reduce the spread of coronavirus. They launched the vaccine in Islamabad in a small ceremony.
“Pakistan is trying to overcome the difficult challenges and turn them into opportunities with the help of friends,” said Dr. Faisal Sultan, the special health assistant of the country. “We found our friend China closest to us in overcoming the COVID-19 challenge,” he added. Despite the help from China in procuring the raw materials for the vaccine, it was not an easy feat. Nong Rong, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan confirmed and stated that Pakistan was the first country to accept the gift of the Chinese vaccine, as a true testament to their friendship.
Vaccine development, a new milestone: Pak
“It is an important day for the country,” noted Asad Umar, the chief of Pakistan’s National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC). The development of the vaccine at this time is a beacon of help. Pakistan’s overall positivity rate is a little below 4 percent for the first time in this quarter. The development and production of the vaccine will start in the coming weeks.
The vaccine will be packaged in Pakistan. it has undergone stringent internal quality control checks and tests. The vaccine is fit for production and use, assured Dr. Sultan.
So far, the country has vaccinated over 7.3 million people. Out of them, close to 2 million people are fully vaccinated and 5.3 million people are partially vaccinated. There have been over 922,800 COVID-19 cases according to Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services.