Pakistan is expected to receive vaccine doses via the COVAX vaccinefacility starting this week, sources said Monday.

According to the sources, the first consignment will bring 1.2 milliondoses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine to the country. Theshipment is arriving from South Korea.

The first batch is expected to reach the country on Friday, May 7, sourcessaid.

Through the COVAX vaccine facility, Pakistan has planned to vaccinate 20%of its population free of charge, sources said.

Last month, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had announced thatPakistan will receive 15 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine from theCOVAX scheme as the country continues to battle the pandemic’s third wave.

Qureshi took to Twitter to announce the development after his meeting withGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Berlin.

“Following my meeting with Foreign Minister HeikoMaas, I am happy toannounce that Pakistan will receive 15 million doses of the #COVID vaccineunder COVAX, with a commitment for these to be delivered by May,” FMQureshi said in a tweet.