PIA airlifts 12 million doses of Sinovac vaccines

PIA airlifts 12 million doses of Sinovac vaccines

BIEJING: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday carried fresh batch of 12 million doses of Sinovac vaccines through special flights from Beijing, to Capital International Airport of Islamabad.

The PIA airlifted the Sinovac vaccines obtained from China and brought it to Pakistan for the people under government’s ongoing prevention and control drive against Covid-19.

The PIA Country Manager for China said, “PIA special flights PK-6852, PK-6853, PK-6854 and PK-6856 transported 12 million doses of Sinovac vaccine procured from China for vaccination of people under government’s ongoing prevention and control drive against Covid-19 pandemic.”

He further said that under able leadership of its Chief Executive Officer, Arshad Malik, the national flag carrier had so far airlifted 57 million doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccine through 47 special flights.

He added,“Till now, PIA has brought around 17 million doses of Sinopharm and 40 million doses of Sinovac and CanSino vaccines from China to Pakistan.”

It is worth mentioning that the government under its mass vaccination drive has set a target to vaccinate 75 million population by end of 2021.

So far, over 32 million vaccines have been administered with a maximum of 1.07 million doses in a day on August 02.

Chinese vaccines namely Sinopharm, Sinovac and CanSino besides other vaccines are being used in the mass vaccination drive.

The health authorities launched the nationwide vaccination drive with around a million doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China, starting with older people and frontline healthcare workers, in March this year.