Pakistan establishes first coronavirus vaccine centre in Islamabad

• Citizens can register by calling 1166
• Special chiller kept at centre to secure vaccine
• Ministry has also set up training centre for vaccinators

Islamabad on Friday got its first coronavirus vaccination centre after the government established the facility in Taralai area of the federal capital.

According to details, citizens can register themselves for the vaccination by signing up on helpline 1166. The government has installed a special chiller at the centre to ensure that the vaccine is secured and lasts long.

The federal health ministry has also set up a training centre for the vaccinators at the venue.

Read more: Cabinet approves purchase of COVID-19 vaccine

Pakistan to get COVID-19 vaccine by Jan end

The centre was set up a day after Secretary for Ministry of National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid said that Pakistan is expected to get the first COVID-19 vaccine shipment by the end of this month.

According to Radio Pakistan, Dr Hamid said that the government was "urgently" drafting a database of all public and private medical workers to get them inoculated in the first phase.

Read more: KP govt devises anti-coronavirus vaccine distribution plan

However, the publication did not specify which vaccine and from which country Pakistan would procure it.

China's Sinopharm vaccine

A week earlier, science minister Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan would purchase 1.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccine from China's Sinopharm.

"The Cabinet Committee has decided to initially purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinopharm, which will be provided free of cost to frontline workers in the first quarter of 2021," the science minister said on Twitter.

Last month, China had approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, its first approved shot for general public use.

Read more: Here's all you need to know about China’s Sinopharm vaccine 

Sindh health minister foresees delay

Meanwhile, on January 5, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said that the Centre had hinted that the procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine could be delayed.

"The PTI-led federal government has reported that it will take time for the coronavirus vaccine to arrive," Dr Pechuho said, adding that it was earlier announced that the drug would be available after January 15.

The Sindh minister explained that the provincial government would formulate a comprehensive policy on the coronavirus vaccines, adding that arrangements in that regard had been completed as well.