Overseas travelers are encountering challenges as government vaccination centers and private hospitals in Islamabad grapple with a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines.
The scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines has impacted vaccination centers across the capital city. Reports indicate that government-operated vaccination facilities in Islamabad have depleted their stocks of both routine and booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines.
It has come to light that these centers have been without vaccine supplies for a month, and the situation extends to private hospitals in the region as well.
This shortage has created complications for international travelers who require mandatory COVID booster doses before embarking on journeys abroad.
In a related development, Novavax has received emergency-use authorization from the World Health Organization (WHO) for its updated COVID vaccine.
This approval applies to individuals aged 12 and older and aims to actively prevent COVID-19. Novavax’s revised shot, previously authorized in the U.S. last month, specifically targets a variant of the coronavirus that was prevalent globally earlier in the year.
The emergency use listing granted by the WHO facilitates a streamlined process for member states to import and administer the vaccines, expediting regulatory approvals.
Novavax faced challenges during the peak of the pandemic, missing out on the initial surge in COVID-19 vaccine demand that favored mRNA-based vaccines from competitors.
Despite manufacturing issues delaying regulatory approval, Novavax’s original COVID shot received authorization in the U.S. in July 2022, trailing behind Pfizer and Moderna.
Novavax’s updated vaccine employs a more traditional protein-based technology, distinguishing it from the mRNA-based vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna.
Following this announcement, shares of the Maryland-based vaccine maker Novavax experienced a 1.8% increase, reaching $5.6 in premarket trading.
