KATHMANDU: India has announced to provide 1 million doses of Covishield vaccine to Nepal as grant. The vaccine was produced by India’s Serum Institute of Pharmaceutical.
On Wednesday, Minister for Health and Population Hridayesh Tripathi and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra held a joint press conference and gave information about the vaccine. The vaccine will arrive in Kathmandu on Thursday.
India’s announcement came as a “surprise” to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.
Ministry officials involved in the pre-purchase of the vaccine did not expect the grant to come so quickly and in such large quantities. “There were indications that India was providing vaccine to Nepal, but it was not expected that the grants would be available so soon,” said one official.
At a press conference held at the ministry on Wednesday, Minister for Health and Population Hridayesh Tripathi jokingly said, “I had said at the last press conference that the vaccine could come by April.”
The government had planned to vaccinate three percent of the population in the first phase through COVAX and give the vaccine to the frontline workers (health workers, security personnel) and public sector workers who are unable to work while maintaining social distance. Chronic patients over 55 years of age will then be on the priority list for vaccinations.
But even before that, India agreed to provide 1 million doses of vaccine, which would reach about 3 percent of those working in the forefront. The vaccine provided by India will be given to the health workers deployed on the frontline across the country, an official Dr Jhalak Gautam explains.
According to Dr Gautam, the vaccine arriving in Kathmandu tomorrow will be stored at the Department of Health Services, Teku.
“It will be ready to distribute within a week. We will start vaccination soon,” he said.
