Nepal likely to get the remaining one million doses only after 7 to 8 months
KATHMANDU, May 19: The Serum Institute, the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer company in India, has maintained that it hopes to provide the Covishield vaccine to COVAX and other countries only by the end of 2021.
India's Serum Institute to make an additional 100 million COVID...
Issuing a press statement on Tuesday, the Serum Institute stated that the company has given priority to vaccination drive in India and won’t be able to supply vaccines to any other country before 2022.
With this, Nepal that largely depends upon neighboring countries India and China for COVID-19 vaccines, will now have to wait till the end of 2021 to get the remaining one million doses of the Covishield vaccine earlier purchased from the Serum Institute of India.
Nepal had initiated it’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign after receiving one million doses of Covishield vaccine from India. Nepal had then purchased two million doses from the Serum Institute. Of the two million doses purchased, Nepal has received only one million so far.
Likewise, China had also donated 800,000 doses of Verocell vaccine to Nepal. Nepal had also received 348,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX facility.