NAC to send plane to China to pick up vaccines

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) is sending its wide-body aircraft to China regularly from July 21 to bring Vero Cell vaccines.

According to NAC Operation Department Chief Deepraj Juharchan, the supplies of the anti-COVID-19 vaccines from China would kick off from July 21.

Earlier, the NAC had put off its schedule to transport the vaccine by a week after the Chinese vaccine manufacturing company apprised that it needed more preparation to make the supplies.

The NAC has scheduled three flights towards the southern neighboring to import the vaccines. The first flight has been scheduled for 5:45 am on July 21 followed by July 22 and July 24.

The government is purchasing the vaccines from China as per the non-disclosure agreement. Prior to this on July 9, the government had brought about 800 thousand doses of vaccines from China which led to the resumption of the vaccination driver against the pandemic.

Similarly, Nepal is receiving the vaccines under the COVAX facility.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population Dr Krishna Prasad Poudel, under the facility, it has been promised to provide vaccines to Nepal to be sufficient for six million people.

On July 12, Nepal got 1.534 million Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccines under the COVAX facility.

Prior to this, 348 thousand doses of vaccines were supplied to Nepal from under the facility.

The government targets to administer the anti COVID-19 vaccines to 22 million of population above 18 years of age.

So far, 2.62 million populations had got the first shot of the vaccines while 1.18 million populations had received the full (two) doses.

Covishield, Vero Cell and Johnson and Johnson vaccines are available in the country.