Moderna’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine is now available for the general public in Islamabad, District Health Officer (DHO) Islamabad has announced.
Taking to Twitter, DHO Islamabad penned that Moderna’s vaccine was earlier restricted to immunocompromised individuals and foreign travelers but will now be available for all.
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Please note that
*Moderna Vaccine can now be administered to general public. Earlier it was restricted to immunocompromised and foreign travellers but now it is open to complete population*
For information please! pic.twitter.com/HvEpznO4IW
— District Health Officer Islamabad (@DhoIslamabad) July 29, 2021
Yesterday, the US Embassy in Islamabad handed over the second batch of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine consisting of 3 million doses to SAPM on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, on the behalf of the US government.
The second batch arrived at Islamabad Airport earlier this week. The first batch consisting of 2.5 million doses reached Pakistan earlier this month.
Both batches are part of the 80 million doses the US has pledged to provide to countries all over the world to end the COVID-19 pandemic. The US has partnered with COVAX, a global initiative aimed at equitable access to Coronavirus vaccines led by GAVI, and UNICEF to supply the 80 million doses.
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The two doses of Moderna’s vaccine are administered 2 weeks apart. Its efficacy is 50.8% after the initial dose and 92.1% after the booster dose. Two weeks after the second dose, the vaccine becomes 94.1% effective at preventing COVID-19.
It needs to be stored in a freezer between -50C and -15C while transportation. During the transfer, the vaccine must be stored in the original carton and protected from light. Unpunctured vials of Moderna’s vaccine may be stored in the refrigerator between 2C and 8C for up to 30 days while punctured vials may be stored between 2C and 25C for up to 12 hours.
