KATHMANDU, JUNE 01

As many as 800,000 doses of the China manufactured anti Covid-19 vaccine - Vero Cell- have arrived in the country, today.

On May 26, Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a telephone conversation with President Bidya Devi Bhandari, had committed to provide 1 million doses of Vero Cell vaccines to Nepal under grant assistance.

On the same day, the COVAX facility, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO, had written to Nepal suggesting it to start looking for another appropriate alternative to Covishield.

While the remaining two hundred thousand doses of Vero Cell vaccines have been provided to Nepal by Tibet's Autonomous Region. The consignment has been handed over to Ministry of Health and Population at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) today.

Read More: 800,000 doses of China donated Vero Cell vaccines to arrive Tuesday

The first batch of the Vaccines, also donated by the Chinese government, had arrived in the country on March 29.

The inoculation drive to administer first dose began on April 9 where as the second dose was administered in Kathmandu including few places in Bhaktapur and in Kavrepalanchok on May 16.

Furthermore, government bodies around the world have expressed their commitment to provide with coronavirus vaccine to Nepal to fight the pandemic.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari has expedited 'vaccine-diplomacy', by corresponding to various countries to provide vaccines to Nepal with the shortage of Covid jabs in Nepal to cover the vulnerable population. The second lot of Serum Institute of India manufactured Covishield procured by Nepal could not be brought in as the company decided to halt export amid a surge in domestic demand for vaccines within India.

Meanwhile, Nepal reported 4,178 new cases of coronavirus infection on Monday and has logged a total of 7,386 deaths since the initial outbreak in March last year.