Pakistan’s Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Timeline and Locations

The Pakistani government has engaged software and data specialists to set up IT systems capable of managing and tracking the logistics of a Covid-19 vaccination program. Pakistan’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout timeline and locations are being decided too with the price.

Which hospitals are providing Covid vaccine in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and other cities and towns of Pakistan is yet to be decided by the health ministry. The cost is the major issue now. Chinese vaccine for Covid in Pakistan will be here soon though many have raised their concerns about the quality of that vaccine and some people, the rich and affluent ones are preferring the Western vaccine over it.

With four promising Covid-19 vaccine candidates progressing through clinical trials, and good results, and the first vaccine approved for emergency use in the US and UK – governments worldwide face the task of managing a globally coordinated supply chain effort to vaccinate their populations quickly and safely. Pakistan’s leaders in military are showing keen interest and realize that they have to take lead to implement this as current PTI government is useless and pointless.

Once a vaccine is approved as safe and effective, which is expected to be early 2021, the Pakistani government is responsible for safely transporting doses from suppliers to the storage and administration sites. It will also have oversight of the locations of doses, stock levels, locations for vaccination and who has been vaccinated. The government has started work identifying key system capabilities and gaps across the digital, data and reporting systems that will help to manage public demand, minimise reporting overhead, and improve the efficacy of the rollout.

Pfizer have indicated that they will provide thermal shippers with inbuilt data logs that provide real-time GPS location and temperature tracking to ensure the integrity of the vaccine, which must be stored at -70°C. Pakistani hospitals are not equipped currently to store that vaccine and they must do something about it. The government in provinces and at the center must ensure that they helpout the hospitals in this regard.