Pakistanis going abroad will get Moderna vaccine

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar Saturday said that Pakistanis going abroad will be given the Moderna vaccine as some countries are not accepting Chinese vaccines.

Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), appreciated the “progressive policy” of US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on COVID-19.

“Received 2.5 million doses of Moderna sent by the US govt. This will particularly those who have to travel for work or study to countries which are only accepting certain vaccines,” the federal minister tweeted.

This is the first shipment of the two-dose Moderna vaccines that the county has received. It is the third non-Chinese vaccine now available in Pakistan.

Earlier, the UK-made AstraZeneca and US-made Pfizer were being inoculated in the country alongside China’s Sinopharm, Sinovac and Cansino vaccines.

The vaccine will also be used for those looking to travel abroad as Chinese vaccines are not approved in many countries.

Expats have been staging protests across the country to get the vaccines approved by European and Gulf countries as these are mandatory before travel and shortage of these vaccines have created problems for the government.