Two million doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine have arrived at Islamabad airport through a special Pakistan International Airline (PIA) plane, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

In a statement, the NCOC said that this was part of the planned contracted quantity purchased from China. "The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is spearheading the process of purchasing vaccines from the international market under the auspices of the NCOC," it said.

These doses will be deployed to all vaccine centres across the country for which arrangements are already in place, it said.

"With the arrival of this consignment, the daily average administering of doses across the country will be enhanced considerably," the NCOC statement added.