Pakistan starts registration of citizens over 65 for COVID-19 vaccination

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan has started registration of people of 65 years old and above for COVID-19 vaccination, the country's Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said Monday.

The people of the age group need to register themselves through a helpline using their national identity card number, and the drive to vaccinate them is expected to start in March, the minister said in a tweet.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the country's vaccination drive to immune frontline healthcare workers on Feb 2, upon receiving China-gifted Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines.

The People's Liberation Army of China also donated a batch of vaccines to the Pakistani military which is also being used for the inoculation of the frontline medical staff.

The frontline healthcare workers are the first to receive the vaccine, and Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan said earlier that in the next step, the country will procure vaccine to administer about 9.5 million citizens above the age of 65, free of cost.

Meanwhile, the country's private sector is also likely to receive shipments of COVID-19 vaccines in the coming two weeks.

Pakistan is currently facing a second wave of COVID-19, and is taking various steps including making citizens follow standard operating procedures to control the spread of the virus.

According to the country's National Command and Operation Center, a total of 564,077 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country so far, out of which 525,997 recovered and 12,333 died.