Nepal receives1 million doses of COVID vaccine from India

India handed over one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal under grant assistance in sync with its 'Neighbourhood First' policy. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra handed over the vaccine consignment to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli during a function at the Prime Minister's residence at Baluwatar on Thursday. Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi and senior government officials were also present on the occasion.In the first phase, the vaccines will be administered to frontline health workers, employees and security personnel, according to Tripathi.
Earlier in the morning, an Air India aircraft carrying the first consignment of COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in India landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathamandu. Nepal last week gave a conditional approval to use Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.The approval coincided with the sixth meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission in New Delhi which was attended by Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.Tripathi  thanked the government of India for the grant assistance and expressed hope that Nepal will get necessary help from the southern neighbour in purchasing more vaccines in the coming days to meet the country's requirements.Nepal's coronavirus caseload has reached 268,310 while 1,975 people have died.