ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Health's officials said Wednesday Pakistan would start the local production of CanSinoBio's coronavirus vaccine next month. 

The development comes after 100,00 people were vaccinated in a day for the first time in Pakistan.

The NIH officials said that the arrangements to prepare CanSinoBio's coronavirus vaccine were done, while the raw material for the vaccine would reach Pakistan in early May, the Geo TV reported on Wednesday.

Chinese experts are also present in Islamabad to help in the preparation of the vaccine, officials said, adding that the NIH had started the venture in collaboration with a Chinese company.

The official said they were hopeful that the single-dose vaccine would be available by the end of May for public inoculation.  Notably,  CanSinoBio's officials had trained NIH experts to prepare vaccine doses.

CanSinoBIO is among three Chinese leading vaccine developers who had applied for World Health Organization's approval for emergency use. Media reported that the WHO would review the applications of two of them - Sinopharm and Sinovac - within the next two weeks. 

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