Home Latest News COVID Vaccinations for Pakistanis Over-30 to Commence Tomorrow

COVID Vaccinations for Pakistanis Over-30 to Commence Tomorrow

by Staff Report

File photo. Joe Raedle-Getty Images North America—AFP

NCOC announces that citizens over-18 traveling abroad for work or school are also eligible for walk-in inoculations

Planning Minister Asad Umar on Friday announced that the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) had decided to commence vaccinations for Pakistanis aged over-30 from Saturday (May 22).

“In today’s NCOC meeting, it has been decided to open up vaccination for 30 years and older starting tomorrow,” he said in a posting on Twitter. “The messages for those who are being scheduled will go out today,” he added.

The development follows the NCOC announcing a day earlier that Pakistanis over 18 years old were eligible for walk-in vaccinations provided they need to travel abroad for work or studies. Anyone falling into this category, it said, could walk into any coronavirus vaccination center, show a valid visa, and get vaccinated.

According to a statement, the decision was taken as several countries around the world, corporations, various employers, universities, and shipping companies had made vaccination mandatory. It stressed that all eligible citizens had to visit centers with a valid passport, visa or iqama, adding that once all doses had been completed, they would be provided a certificate by NADRA. Both Punjab and Sindh have announced that they would start vaccinating eligible people from May 21.

The NCOC confirmed that, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination, the AstraZeneca vaccines would be administered to people over 40, while people aged between 18 and 39 would be inoculated with Sinopharm, Cansino or Sinovac. It said that the duration between two doses was 12 weeks for AstraZeneca; 3 weeks for Sinopharm; and 4 weeks for Sinovac.

Pakistan started registering people aged 30-39 for coronavirus vaccinations on May 16; while registration for people in the 40-49 demographic began on May 3. Senior citizens have been eligible for vaccinations since March. According to the NCOC, since Pakistan launched its vaccination drive in February, 2,631,873 citizens have been partially vaccinated against the coronavirus; 1,193,441 people have been fully vaccinated. Pakistan aims to vaccinate 70 million people by year’s end, according to Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan.

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