The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) finalized the national coronavirus vaccination strategy with the first shipment of a Chinese vaccine expected to arrive by January 31.

The government has approved three COVID-19 vaccines including Russia’s Sputnik-V, China’s Sinopharm and UK’s Oxford-AstraZeneca for emergency use in the country

Below is the step-by-step guide to how you can get vaccinated against the deadly virus.

Step 1: Citizens including frontline healthcare workers will send CNIC number to 1166 through SMS or use NIMS website for registration.

Step 2: After verification, designated AVC (Adult Vaccine Centre) (based on "Present Address" and PIN Code will be sent to the citizen through SMS).

Step 3: If the designated AVC is outside current tehsil of the citizen, he/ she can change the designated health facility by visiting NIMS web portal or by calling 1166 helpline within 5 days of receipt of the first SMS

Step 4: Upon availability of vaccine at the Designated Vaccination Centre, SMS will be sent to the citizen to intimate appointment date for vaccine administration.

Step 5: After successful registration, the citizen will visit AVC on the date of appointment along with the original CNIC and received PIB Code (mandatory).

Step 6:Vaccination staff will verify the CNIC and PIN code.

Step 7: After successful verification, the citizen will be vaccinated. Upon vaccine administration, vaccination staff will enter the details in NIMS and confirmation message will be sent to the citizen through SMS.

Step 8: A real-time dashboard for the federal, provincial and district health department will be generated automatically.