The cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan has given approval of $ 150 million to purchase an anti-Covid vaccine.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Dec 2nd, 2020) The Federal cabinet meeting approved funds to purchase the Covid-19 vaccine, the reports said on Dec 2.
The cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan gave approval of $ 150 mn to procure an anti-Covid vaccine. The health workers and people above 60 years of age would get the first doses of the Covid vaccine in the first stage, said the sources.
They said that the cabinet approved funds for the advanced purchases of Covid-19 vaccines.
Following the cabinet meeting, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on health Dr. Faisal Sultan said that the cabinet approved funds for the advance purchases of COVID-19 vaccines.
“Frontline health workers will have the doses of coronavirus vaccine in the first stage,” SAPM Faisal said, pointing out that aged people would be vaccinated in the second stage.
The general public, he said, would receive the first dose of vaccine in the third stage whenever it becomes available.
He said that the government was hopeful about Covid-19 vaccine in the first quarter of 2021. He also stated that the cabinet meeting also approved a major reduction in the prices of Remdesivir injection used to treat COVID-19 patients.
“ Rs5000 has been fixed per Remdesivir injection,” Faisal Sultan added.
The federal cabinet had earlier fixed its price up to Rs10,873 on June 16.
Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had earlier approved technical supplementary grant for the advance purchases of COVID-19 vaccines.
He said that the Standard Operating Procedures designed by the NCOC need to be followed indiscriminately by all sections of society.
