Here’s how you can get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Pakistan

With a fresh batch of vaccines already arrived from China and another 17 million doses of AstraZeneca also scheduled to arrive, the NCOC has announced an 8-step plan regarding how citizens can get vaccinated in the country. The first batch of vaccines will prioritize front-line healthcare workers, but citizens can also get vaccinated through Adult Vaccine Centers (AVC).

An online portal has been created called National Immunization Management System (NIMS). Human interaction will be minimum to ensure transparency. The eight-step process to get vaccinated is as follows:

1. Citizens to send their CNIC numbers to 1166 via SMS or register on NIMS website.
2. Citizen will be directed to visit designated ‘Adult Vaccine Center’ based on current address via SMS.
3. Citizen may request another center via SMS on 1166 or on NIMS website.
4. When vaccine becomes available at center, citizens will intimated about appointment via SMS.
5. On date of appointment, citizen must visit center with CNIC and pin code received via SMS.
6. Staff at the center will verify CNIC and pin code.
7. Citizen will be administered vaccine and will be asked to stay for 30 minutes for monitoring.
8. The inoculated person’s details will be updated in the government’s real-time database.

So there you have it. The 8 step process above is how you can register and get vaccinated in your local area as soon as the vaccine is available. The federal government has officially decided to initiate nationwide COVID-19 vaccine drive from February 3.

In Punjab as many as 189 vaccination centers have been established, 14 in Sindh, 280 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 44 in Balochistan, 14 in Islamabad, 25 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 16 in GB, the NCOC said.