ISLAMABAD:
The first batch of CanSino Covid-19 vaccines that the Pakistani government has purchased from China arrived Tuesday night.
Earlier, the third phase trials of the CanSino vaccine had been conducted in Pakistan and it is the second Chinese Covid-19 vaccine that Pakistan has approved for emergency use in the country.
The CanSino Biologics Inc told Xinhua that the single-dose CanSino Covid-19 vaccine is expected to facilitate the building of immunity in the Pakistani society to help the country restore the normal functioning of society and economy.
In February, Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan said that the third phase trials of the CanSino vaccine showed that it is 74.8 per cent efficient in preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in the country.
Sharing results of the trials in Pakistan on social media, Sultan said the Covid-19 vaccine proved 100 per cent efficient at preventing severe disease in Pakistan.
Sultan further said that the interim analysis by an independent data monitoring committee also said that the vaccine showed 65.7 per cent efficacy at preventing symptomatic cases and 90.98 per cent at preventing severe disease in multi-country analysis, adding that the committee did not report any serious safety concerns regarding the vaccine.
Currently, Pakistan is facing a third wave of Covid-19 and the positivity rate has seen a sharp rise, forcing the Pakistani authorities to continue tightening the anti-pandemic measures, including banning public gatherings across the country.
