NCOC approved $130m grant to buy 10m doses of vaccine

As the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) will be starting vaccination for people over 18 years of age from Thursday, the government Monday decided to approve a grant of  $130 million (about Rs20 billion) to purchase 10m doses of Covid-19 vaccine before June 30.

The estimated amount required to inoculate the target population of 72m against coronavirus is $1.5bn.

However, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said the government was aiming to vaccinate the maximum number of people before Eidul Azha to avoid imposing lockdown.