ISLAMABAD - Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan said Monday that the local production of China's single-dose CanSino COVID-19 vaccine is about to commence in the country to facilitate its vaccination drive.

Thanking China for supporting Pakistan in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Sultan told local media that China remains a strong partner which had donated vaccines and other supplies and is also transferring technology of vaccine production to Pakistan.

The start of the local production of the CanSino vaccine will gradually make Pakistan largely self-sufficient in meeting its COVID-19 vaccine needs, he said.

Sultan said out of 100 million people eligible for vaccination in the country, the government aimed to vaccinate 70 million by the end of 2021, adding that currently, Pakistan is vaccinating nearly 150,000 people every day, while the government is making efforts to reach a target of 300,000 vaccinations daily.

Pakistan has a population of 220 million and over 2.5 million people have already been vaccinated owing to the proactive strategy of the government for vaccine procurement, the official said.

Urging people to continue to observe the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to stop the spread of the virus, he said "vaccines are very important to prevent the virus from spreading, but what is even more important is following SOPs."

According to Pakistan's National Command and Operation Center, the country had reported 834,146 confirmed cases with 18,149 deaths and 728,044 recoveries as of Sunday.