10,000 doses of CanSino coronavirus vaccine losing away at Karachi warehouse

The only-dose Convidecia vaccine was imported by non-public firm AJM Restricted in Pakistan.

“This cargo was to be equipped to a few hospitals within the nation, however it has not but been launched by the DRAP as a consequence of red-tapism,” an official of the Nationwide Well being Companies.

Pakistan had granted emergency use authorisation to China’s CanSino Biologics Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine in February, 2021 following its profitable trials at varied well being services in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

The federal authorities additionally bought 60,000 doses of the Chinese language vaccine final month, that are at the moment getting used to inoculate the aged and disabled.

Up to now, Pakistan has vaccinated 1.4 million of its inhabitants – largely with China’s Sinopharm vaccine – whereas 20,000 individuals have thus far been inoculated with privately imported Sputnik V vaccine, officers stated.

They added that at the least 30,000 individuals have additionally been given CanSino’s Convidecia vaccine on the authorities’s grownup vaccination centres.

The Nationwide Well being Companies official blamed DRAP for the delay in launch of the coronavirus vaccine consignment and stated it did the identical when 50,000 doses of Russian vaccine Sputnik V arrived within the nation and remained in chilly storage for over a month as a consequence of controversy over its pricing.

“CanSino Biologics Inc’s single dose is essentially the most appropriate vaccine for Pakistan as its trials had been held in three main cities of Pakistan the place over 15,000 individuals had been recruited for these trials. At a time when Pakistan desperately want this vaccine, holding 10,000 doses of this valuable cargo is unlucky,” the AJM official stated.

The vaccines had been to be equipped to Aga Khan College Hospital, Karachi, Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore and Shifa Worldwide Hospital, Islamabad.