KATHMANDU: The government of Nepal has decided to provide a ‘booster dose’ against Covid-19 to the age group of 12 to 17 years. The recipient children must have vaccinated three months before.
According to statistics, there are 3.425 million people in this age group in the country. The 12 to 17 age group has been vaccinated against Covid-19 since December/January last year.
We have issued a circular to health agencies across the country on Thursday to start giving booster doses to those who have been vaccinated against Covid in the age group of 12 to 17 years for three months now. The vaccination campaign will start from Friday with the inclusion of booster dose program in the ongoing vaccination campaign, said an official at the Department of Health Services (DHS), Child Health and Vaccination Branch.
The government is preparing to give adolescents 0.25 ml of Moderna vaccine or 0.3 ml of Pfizer vaccine as booster. So far, 21.68 percent of the population in the age group of 12 years and above or 5.58 million people have received additional dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
According to DHS, all those who meet the criteria set by the government must take booster dose. Adolescents in the 12 to 17 year old age group can get the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine based on M-RNA technology at a booster dose, regardless of the first two doses of the vaccine.
mRNA is a genetic material that helps the body make proteins. The mRNA in the vaccine teaches the cells to replicate the spike protein. If the vaccinated person comes in contact with the virus, their body recognizes the virus and helps the body make proteins to fight it.
According to the Ministry of Health, 76.9 percent of the total population in the country, or 22,458,729 people have received at least one dose, while 68.4 percent of the total population, or 19,969,662 people have been fully vaccinated.
So far, Nepal has received a total of 53.381 million doses of vaccines through grant assistance and procurement.
