ISLAMABAD: Pakistan authorities have approved the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country as the nation continues to witness a surge in the number of coronavirus infections.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) approved the vaccine on Monday, two days after it had approved the emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr Asim Rauf, the DRAP chief executive officer, while talking said the National Institute of Health (NIH) got the Sinopharm's vaccine registered on its name.
"The approval has been given for emergency use and it will pave the way for bringing the vaccine to Pakistan," he was quoted as saying to the Dawn newspaper.
Pakistan has already pre-booked 1.1 million doses of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine and the process of its import will start soon.
Till Tuesday, Pakistan has reported 11,055 deaths due to coronavirus, reported the ministry of National Health Services.
It showed that the number of positive cases has surged to 523,011 after 1,800 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Medical Association, a representative body of doctors in the nation, has asked the government to share details of the vaccines which are under consideration for import as well as their efficacy rates.
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