Nepal has sought India’s help to procure coronavirus vaccines for around 20 percent of its population, in an attempt to ramp up its efforts to contain the deadly virus that has killed more than 1,800 people and infected over 2,60,000 others in Nepal, a media report said today.
Nepal has written to India, requesting to procure COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate around 20 percent of its population, the Kathmandu Post reported.
Nepal will pay for the vaccines it sources through India, the paper added.
At least two vaccine candidates, including Oxford’s AstraZeneca and domestically developed candidate Bharat Biotech’s vaccine, are in the final stages of a third phase trial in India.
“To get the vaccines at the earliest, the government has requested the Indian government to buy vaccines for 20 percent Nepalis,” the paper said, quoting a Health Ministry official.
Nepal is also pursuing vaccines made in other countries.“Around 15 vaccine candidates of different countries and companies are in third phase trials.The government has written to most of the countries for help and to the individual companies to procure the vaccines,” said Dr.Shyam Raj Upreti, coordinator of Nepal’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee.
