Govt to administer second dose of Covid-19 vaccine from April 19

Health Ministry has asked all those receiving the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine from January 28 to February 22 to visit any of the 19 vaccine centers convenient to them to receive the second shot of the vaccine.

KATHMANDU, April 13: Government has announced to administer the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines from April 19 to April 22 to those who have received the first shot of the vaccine from January 28 to February 22 earlier this year.

Issuing a public notice, the Ministry of Health and Population has urged all those receiving the first shot of COVID-19 vaccines from January 28 to February 22 to visit any of the 19 vaccine centers convenient to them to receive the second shot of the vaccine. The Ministry has set a specific date for the people to receive the second dose of vaccines as per the date of the first shot of vaccines they received earlier.

The government had earlier administered the first dose of Covishield vaccines to various frontline workers including health professionals, security personnel, government employees, journalists, officials of diplomatic missions, embassies and those working with the United Nations. People above 60 years of age and parliamentarians were also among those receiving the first dose of the Covishield vaccines.

Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). The government suspended the ongoing vaccination drive after India put a temporary ban on export of the vaccine to meet its domestic demand.

The government's announcement to administer the second dose of Covishield vaccine comes shortly after Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi talked to their Indian counterparts over telephone to resume the supply of Covishied vaccines. Indian side had assured Nepal to resume the supply of vaccines at the earliest date possible.

The Serum Institute has not supplied half of the 2 million doses of the vaccines after the temporary ban on the export. Nepal has already paid 80 percent of the total cost to place the order. Nepal plans to procure at least 5 million doses of Covishield vaccines from the Serum Institute.

Earlier on April 7, the government resumed the ongoing vaccination drive after China provided 800,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines. But those receiving Covishield vaccine earlier require to be administered the same vaccines

See the notice here for details.

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