In Pictures: Pakistan begins vaccine roll-out

A health worker gives injection of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine for COVID-19 to his colleague while Faisal Sultan, second right, Prime Minister’s advisor on health issues, and other officials watches during a ceremony to start the vaccination campaign, in Islamabad. Pakistani authorities have started vaccinating frontline health workers against the coronavirus amid a steady decline in confirmed cases and fatalities. Wednesday's start of the vaccine campaign comes days after Pakistan received half a million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine donated by China.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday attended a ceremony that marked the formal launch of COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pakistan. The first vaccine jab was administered to a doctor. The prime minister oversaw the vaccine jab administration and wished its recipient the best. While speaking on the occasion, he congratulated his health team for moving rapidly to secure the vaccines. Above, a health worker receives a dose of Sinopharm's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, at a vaccination centre in Karachi.

He reiterated that the vaccine will be first administered to health workers working with COVID-19 patients, followed by the elderly in the high-risk age group. The vaccine doses, he said would be distributed among provinces equitably and there would be no preference in this regard.

Paramedics pose for a group photograph before entering a vaccination zone to administer the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, in Karachi.

A doctor holds a vial of Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, at the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) in Islamabad. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Faisal Sultan had received the consignment of 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine as a special Pakistan Air Force (PAF) plane with the first tranche of Sinopharm vaccine landed here.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Wednesday said more than 100,000 people would be able to be vaccinated daily in the coming days.

In a tweet, the federal minister stated that the COVID-19 vaccination has been started from today and 40,000 health workers will be vaccinated today. Above, paramedics sit at their counter while waiting to administer doses of Sinopharm's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, at a vaccination centre in Karachi.

Chaudhry Fawad said that after the Chinese vaccine `Sinopharm', the next COVID-19 vaccine `AstraZeneca' would be available in Pakistan within a few weeks.

A paramedic prepares a dose of the Sinopharm's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, before administering it to a health worker at a vaccination centre in Karachi.

A paramedic holds for the camera a dose of Sinopharm's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine.

A health worker collects data from a doctor, right, prior to administering a Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center, in Karachi.

A doctor receives a vaccine from a nurse at a vaccination center in Karachi.