By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Jan. 22: The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines provided by the Indian government arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday.
The Government of India on Wednesday announced to provide 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Nepal under its ‘VaccineMaitri’ programme.
The vaccines will be inoculated to the frontline health workers, employees and security personnel in the first phase.
Nepal had given a conditional approval to use ‘Covishield’ vaccine against COVID-19 manufactured by the Serum Institute India.
The vaccine was handed over amid a special programme at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA).
In a joint press meet organised on Wednesday, Minister for Health and Population Hridayesh Tripathi had informed that the vaccines would be administered to the front line health workers including doctors, nurses, and other supporting staff.
As all legal, financial, and technical works have completed, preparations are being made to start administering the vaccines within seven days, informed Minister Tripathi.
Covishield is administered in two doses of 0.5ml each, with the second dose given four to six weeks after the first. Immune compromised, pregnant women, or anyone with a bleeding disorder, however, will not be given the vaccine as they might experience adverse reactions.
According to health experts, tenderness or pain around the injection site, fatigue, chills, headache, nausea, joint pain or muscle ache are some of the common side effects among those who take the jab.
“Covishield will inject a vector that will produce an immune response to the body that fight against the coronavirus,” public health expert Dr. Rabindra Pandey said.
The vaccine will not do any harm to the body, he added.