KATHMANDU, MARCH 7

Today, Nepal received its first consignment of the Covid-19 vaccine doses under the COVAX facility -- a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO -- made possible through generous donor support from governments, international organisations, foundations, and the private sector.

Issuing a joint press release on Sunday, the partners, informed that the delivery of COVAX-procured vaccines to Nepal is part of a historic step towards ensuring equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines globally, in what will be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history.

The goal of the COVAX Facility is to supply Nepal with enough doses to vaccinate 20 percent of the population depending on funding availability. Under the first COVAX allocation, the COVAX Facility will deliver 1.92 million vaccine doses to Nepal by the end of May 2021, in support of the Government of Nepal's nationwide vaccination campaign.

Today, the first COVAX shipment of 348,000 doses of AstraZeneca 'Covishield' vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), together with 350,000 syringes and 3,500 vaccine safety boxes arrived in Kathmandu before being distributed to provinces and municipalities across the country.

COVAX-supported vaccines provide a critical contribution to the Government of Nepal's National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) target to vaccinate roughly 22 million people, among them refugees, migrant returnees and other migrant populations, according to the partners. With the support from Government of India, Nepal commenced the vaccination campaign, through which, 429,705 people have been inoculated, till date.

The COVAX Facility is funded by partner governments, including the Governments of Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union as well as foundations and corporations.

The arrival of the COVAX supplied vaccines will boost Nepal's vaccination efforts as it coincides with the launch of the second phase of the vaccination campaign which targets the elderly population, primarily. The second phase will also target teachers, as part of the expanded group of frontline workers.

Ongoing public health measures to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 will continue to be critical alongside vaccination, states the release. This includes adhering to testing and quarantine measures, mask wearing, hand hygiene, and physical distancing of at least two metres.

Representatives of the COVAX technical and funding partners joined the Minister of Health and Population Hridayesh Tripathi, in receiving the vaccines under the COVAX contribution to Nepal, at Tribhuvan International Airport, in Kathmandu.