By Kshitiz Siwakoti, Kathmandu, June 21: Senior citizens above 65 who received their first dose of Covishield, a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured in the Serum Institute of India, in March are yet to receive their second dose. 

Dr. Shyam Raj Upreti, coordinator for the COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee, said the inoculation of the second jab of the Covishield vaccine is between 6 to 12 weeks. “It has been almost three months since elderly citizens above 65 received their first dose. The immunity provided by the first dose will gradually begin to wear off after three months,” Dr. Upreti said. 

The Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr. Krishna Prasad Poudel, confirmed that around 1.4 million senior citizens who got their first dose have not received their second dose of the Covisheild vaccines. 

Narbada Poudel, a 65 year old resident of Biratnagar metropolis-2, Morang district, said that she along with her 67 year old husband Bijay Karki received their first dose of Covishield vaccine on 12 March. “We were told that we would receive the second jab within a month or so. It has been more than three months and we have not yet received the second dose. Due to our age we are more vulnerable to the virus. I wonder when we will receive the second dose,” Poudel said.

The procurement plan for a further 1 million Covishield vaccines fell off after the Indian government stopped all vaccine exports to combat their second wave at home. 

Coordinator for the COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee, Dr. Upreti, said that Nepal had received 1 million Covisheild vaccines from the Indian Government free of cost and had purchased another 1 million vaccines. The Government of China had provided Nepal with 1.8 million of the Sinopharm manufactured Vero Cell vaccines and under the COVAX initiative, Nepal had received 300,000 Covishield vaccines. 

“COVAX had promised Nepal more vaccines but currently even they have asked us to look for other vaccine sources,” Upreti added.

Spokesperson Poudel has said that although the USA and UK have promised vaccines to Nepal they have not mentioned when and how many vaccines will they provide. “Along with USA and UK, we have also contacted Russian vaccine manufacturer Gamaleya institute for Sputnik 5 vaccines and American manufacturer Johnson and Johnson for their single-dose vaccine but so far they have said that all their vaccines have been pre-booked,” Poudel added. 

Upreti said that as of now there are only 400,000 vaccines left in the country.