ISLAMABAD: Health Advisor Dr Faisal Sultan has said the government will provide corona vaccine free of cost to the general public.

Talking to media in Islamabad on Wednesday evening, he said that negotiations with two pharmaceutical companies are underway for procurement of vaccine as shortlisted by the Technical Committee with the approval of Drug Regularity Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

He said Pakistan is also in touch with Chinese government for procuring anti-corona vaccine and the ambassador of the UK was also engaged in this regard.

Dr Faisal Sultan said the government machinery is functional in procuring vaccine and we will be able to vaccinate 1.1 million people and procure vaccine for 200 million populations till the first quarter of this year.

He said the staff of Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) will be tasked in shifting and storing vaccines across the country. He said that frontline health workers will be vaccinated in first phase of this process and it will be expanded gradually for other health worker and aged patients above the age of 60 years. He said that registration of 400 thousand health workers has been completed in this regard.