Kathmandu, Jan 8: The Ministry of Health and Population is to provide an additional one dose (third dose) of the vaccine against COVID-19 to the frontline workers and all the citizens above 60 years, who have already been vaccinated with the full dose of the vaccine at least three months ago.    

According to Secretary at the Ministry, Dr Roshan Pokharel shared an additional one dose of vaccine is to be administered to the frontline workers—doctors, health workers, security personnel from the third week of January and to the people with moderate to severe immunodeficiency and all the citizens above 60 years from last week of January.    

Pokharel added that the additional one dose of vaccine against coronavirus is going to be administered in view of the possible third wave of coronavirus. The infection rate, out of the total tests of coronavirus, is now 8.49 per cent in Nepal.    

Coronavirus was detected on 986 people while conducting 14,971 tests on Friday. Similarly, the Omicron variant was detected on 24 people on Friday. The Ministry is all set to administer an additional dose at the recommendation of the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee.

Earlier, a campaign to administer the additional one dose vaccine to those suffering from serious disease and people with moderate to severe immunodeficiency was postponed launching only one day, January 4 after the Ministry decided to provide an additional one dose vaccine only after administering the full dose of vaccine against COVID-19 to all eligible citizens.    

Similarly, cancer patients, organ transplant patients, HIV infected patients, patients taking immunosuppressive drugs during treatment would also get a third dose of vaccine.