"The NIH targets to rope in 18,000 people in the trials, and the current results indicate that the vaccine is very suitable for Pakistanis, so it is expected to have high demand in the country after its formal launch in China," Sohail said.

"The trials have developed a confidence in people here about the safety of the Chinese vaccine, as a large number of people had it and stayed safe," Sohail added.

Ejaz Ahmad Khan, a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at Shifa, is the principal investigator of the vaccine trials in Pakistan and keeps close contact with the volunteers to monitor their condition after vaccination.

"The trial has been very smooth until now, we have had no major serious adverse events so far ... We think that this initial period has, to some extent, proved its safety and suitableness for Pakistanis," said the investigator.