The National Immunisation Drive against Covid-19 formally began across the country. Healthcare workers were administered the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine at a special ceremony at the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, separate ceremonies were simultaneously held in all the provinces and the federating units where healthcare workers were inoculated.

Addressing the NCOC ceremony, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar said that health workers are the real heroes in the fight against the pandemic. "That is the reason it was decided to administer the vaccine to health workers in the first phase," he said.

He also thanked the China for providing the vaccine to Pakistan and called Beijing a "true friend" of the country.