By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Mar. 19: The government has postponed the vaccination drive against COVID-19 in lack of enough vaccines.
The campaign halted as the second consignment of one million doses of vaccines procured from India did not arrive.
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has stated that the campaign has been postponed as no additional vaccines arrived in Nepal as per the plan.
As of now, the government has received 2,348,000 doses, including one million doses under Vaccine Maitri programme from India, one million doses of the two million doses that the government bought from the Serum Institute of India and 348,000 doses under the COVAX facility.
A total of 1,677,000 people were inoculated during the first and second phases of vaccination, said Dr. Shyam Raj Upreti, Coordinator of the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee at the MoHP. The vaccination campaign will continue after securing required doses of vaccines, he added.
The remaining vials of vaccines are secured for the second dose which will be provided to those who were inoculated in the first phase that started from January 27.
“The second phase of vaccination campaign for the priority group has been completed, and no decision has been made to administer vaccines to those who have not taken during their turn,” said Dr. Roshan Pokharel, chief specialist at the MoHP.
“Around 700,000 doses of vaccines are left. We need to secure the second dose for those who took the first,” said Dr. Pokharel.
The MoHP had targeted to inoculate people above 55 years, teachers of both private and community schools and staff members of private and public transportation services in the second phase followed by the people aged above 65 years old, but it is unclear when they will get the jabs.
The government had earlier planned that it would continue the campaign with additional doses provided by the COVAX facility, one million purchased from India’s Serum Institute of India, five million doses of vaccines to be purchased again from India and 800,000 doses of vaccines to be received from China.
“There is a shortage of vaccines all over the world; it is uncertain when we would be able to receive additional doses,” said Dr. Upreti.
The COVAX facility had committed to provide vaccines sufficient for 20 per cent of the country’s population but with a worldwide scramble for the COVID-19 vaccine, it is uncertain when the rest of the vaccines will be delivered to Nepal.