NIH can produce 3m vaccine doses, says Dr Faisal

ISLAMABAD – Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services (NHS) Dr. Faisal Sultan on Monday said that the National Institute of Health (NIH) will be able to produce three million doses of CanSino COVID-19 vaccine after transfer of technology.

In a statement released by the Health Ministry referring to Dr. Faisal Sultan said that Pakistan will begin producing the single-dose CanSino Bio vaccine locally. “Due to the agreement on technology transfer, the NIH will be able to produce three million doses per month,” said Dr. Faisal.

Pakistan will become largely self-sufficient in meeting its vaccine needs, he said.

He further added that China is a strong partner and has gone out of its way in keeping up a supply chain and transferring technology to Pakistan. The SAPM said that the government is now vaccinating nearly 150,000 people daily and its target is to reach 300,000 vaccinations daily.

He also said that vaccination for 40 plus has begun in the country.

He said that the Economic Coordination Committee had approved $150 million for vaccine procurement on in November last.

He said that Pfizer was approved on 11 December 2020, AstraZeneca on 30 December 2020 and Sinopharm was also approved in late stage of Phase III trials in December.

Dr. Faisal said that for the first half of the year, January to June 2021, the government received and expects to receive 19.82 million doses.

“91% of these doses are purchased, which clearly shows we are not dependent on donations,” he said.

Dr. Faisal said that in totality, we have signed deals for over 30 million doses already.

He also said that the population of Pakistan which is currently eligible for vaccination is 100 million.

“Our goal is to vaccinate 70 million by the end of 2021,” said the SAPM on NHS.

He said that the government has already secured 30 million doses and will continue to procure more the rest of the year should be very reassuring.

He added that manufacturers like Astra Zeneca and Moderna have been unable to meet the demand.

He also said that the government is certainly moving in that direction now but so far Pakistan did not have the capacity for vaccine production.

Article source: https://nation.com.pk/04-May-2021/nih-can-produce-3m-vaccine-doses-says-dr-faisal