KATHMANDU, MARCH 25

Nepal's Covid-19 vaccination drive is likely to be affected with the Government of India deciding to temporarily halt the export of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines following the recent surge of cases in India.

According to a report on BBC, the Indian government has decided to place a hold on the export of the coronavirus vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) for the time being as domestic demand is expected to rise corresponding to the sharp spike in daily infections in the country.

It is expected that supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine are likely to slow down till the end of April 2021.

With this, Nepal, along with 189 other countries under the WHO's Covax scheme, could face a stagnance in terms of receiving the vaccines.

Only recently, the SII had delayed the second consignment of the Covishield vaccine to Nepal.

As mentioned, India's decision to delay the supply of vaccines follows the new wave of cases which is likely to prompt demand of the vaccines within the country.

As per the information provided by the Ministry of Health and Population, around 1.6 million people have received the Covid jab in the country till mid-March. Under the vaccination rollout plan, the government plans to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the population.

The latest data on Covid-19 situation in the country states that 276,389 cases have been confirmed in Nepal till date while 3,020 deaths have been reported. The first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive had kick-started in the country on January 27.