KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Thousands of Pakistanis rushed to inoculate themselves in the first round of commercial sales of COVID-19 vaccines that began over the weekend, with vaccination sites in the southern city of Karachi. saying Sunday that they had already run out.
Pakistan currently offers free vaccines to front-line health workers and people over the age of 50, but so far the momentum has been slow and last month the country allowed private sector commercial imports for the general public.
The first round saw the commercial sale of the two-shot Russian Sputnik V to the general public for about 12,000 Pakistani rupees ($ 80) for a two-dose package.
Despite the cost, several centers offering the shooting reported long queues, and some in Karachi waited in line for about three hours. Most of the queue were young Pakistanis who were not yet eligible for free government vaccination.
“I am very happy to get it, as it is now necessary to travel,” Saad Ahmed, 34, told Reuters on Sunday after being shot at a luxury private sector hospital in Karachi.
Although private sale of vaccines has begun, the government and importers remain locked in a price dispute.
Pakistan initially agreed to exempt imported vaccines from price limits, but later lifted the exemption and said it would set maximum prices.
A pharmaceutical company, which had already imported 50,000 doses of Sputnik V, took the government to court, where it won a provisional order allowing it to sell it until the price was decided.
As soon as vaccination was opened for clients with direct access, there were long lines of people, Dr. Nashwa Ahmed, who heads the vaccination at the South Karachi City Hospital, told Reuters.
Images of queues outside the hospital were shared on social media until well into the night.
The hospital purchased 5,000 doses of Sputnik V and, in just over two days, all of its stock had been previously administered or reserved, a hospital official said who asked not to be identified.
Companies, including one of Pakistan’s largest banks, have also bought large amounts to inoculate staff, the official said.
Private sales begin as the country faces a new wave of COVID-19 infections and sanitation facilities are rapidly filling to capacity.
The number of patients now in critical care has reached 3,568, the highest since the pandemic began, cabinet minister Asad Umar said on Twitter. So far, Pakistan has reported 687,908 infections and 14,778 deaths.
(1 dollar = 152,9400 Pakistani rupees)
Reports by Syed Raza Hassan; Edited by Peter Graff