Pakistan is set to receive 100,000 doses of the mRNA covid vaccine by Pfizer BioNTech through COVAX by June.
According to the details, Pakistan has already received and installed ultra cold chain (UCC) refrigerators in Islamabad and all the federating units for storage of the vaccine, as told by officials.
“COVAX has assured us of providing at least 100,000 doses of mRNA vaccine of Pfizer BioNTech by June this year. On their assurance, we have acquired and installed 23 UCC refrigerators throughout Pakistan.” an official of the National Health Services said.
The double-dose Pfizer vaccine has a shelf life of six months when stored at minus-75C (minus-103F), which represents a logistical challenge in many countries as it requires specialised freezers.
Pakistan has already taken care of the logistic and storage problems of the Pfizer vaccine, the officials assured. 23 UCC freezers at 16 locations across Pakistan are installed for storage.
Refrigerators in cities including Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujranwala, Gilgit, Hyderabad, Quetta and Peshawar have been installed.
