The ongoing Chinese Covid-19 vaccine trials have resulted in successful responses, says Professor Dr. Javed Akram, the Vice-Chancellor of UHS, and are likely to be concluded at the end of this week. The trials were being held at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) and approximately 17,000 volunteers have been administered the vaccine.
A thorough report on the clinical trial’s findings will be made public soon, informed Dr. Akram.
He further informed that the Covid-19 vaccine would cost approximately $3-4 and is currently being registered with the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRAP). If 75 percent of the population is administered the vaccine, the chain of Covid-19 transmission would become less severe, Dr. Akram maintained.
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A Chinese manufacturer namely CanSinaBIO has in partnership with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology developed the vaccine being tested in clinical trials. The vaccine is called “Ad5-nCoV”. The clinical trial was commenced in September 2020, after the Drug Regulatory Authority allowed UHS to do so in August last year.
National Immunisation System
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) which is a national effort to curb Covid-19 has developed a National Immunisation Management System, in association with the Ministry of Health, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), and National Information Technology Board (NITB).
The National Immunisation System would guarantee an efficacious administration and supply chain management of the Covid-19 vaccine. The system is anticipated to be available by mid-January and will be announced to the citizens soon.
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Electronic registration for the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine will be made possible through this system. Citizens will be able to register either through SMS or the internet by providing their CNIC numbers.
The Pakistani government is in close communication with the world’s leading Covid-19 manufacturers to ensure it gets here timely, informed NCOC.
Free of cost vaccine for a majority of the population
While addressing a press conference in Lahore, Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry had stated that the government is determined to provide a majority of Pakistan’s population with free of cost Covid-19 vaccine.
Private companies would be permitted to import the vaccine, said the minister. Front-line workers and senior citizens will be prioritized, he added.
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“A comprehensive model for the administration of the vaccine is being prepared,” he said.
“Efforts will be made to provide vaccine free of charge or at a minimum price to a maximum number of people.”
A few days prior to Fawad Chaudhry’s statement, the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) had announced that the government is “is regularly reviewing developments, including data from phase-III trials.”
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