KATHMANDU: The Nepal government is making preparationa to bring additional 6 million doses of vaccine against COVID-19.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, the 4.4 million doses of Vero Cell vaccine purchased by the government will be delivered by October 15.

With Sher Bahadur Deuba becoming the Prime Minister, China has pledged 1.6 million doses of vaccine by the end of September.

According to the Ministry, about 13.3 million doses of vaccine have been received from various sources. Out of them, about 1.7 million doses are in stock, informed Dr. RP Bichchha, the Director General of the Department of Health Services under the Health Ministry.

Out of the stock, more than 1.5 million doses have been sent to all the states and about 1.5 million has been kept at the center for emergencies.

Similarly, preparations are underway to purchase 6 million doses of vaccine from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Campaign COVAX facility by December, said Dr. Bichchha.

Bichchha further said that there is a possibility that either Vero Cell, or AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson might be delivered under COVAX facility.

In Nepal, more than one third (34.35%) of the total population have been vaccinated.

Of them, 16.10 percent have received the full dose while 18.25 percent have received the first dose.

According to the ministry, the number of people taking one dose has reached 1375,764 by Saturday.

According to Badri Bahadur Khadka, Chief Public Health Administrator of the Health Office, Kathmandu, 40 percent of the people in Kathmandu have been fully vaccinated by Friday and 48 percent have taken the first dose.

It is said that 33 percent of the population will be vaccinated by mid-October. The Ministry of Health has set a target of fully vaccinating everyone over the age of 18 by mid-April, next year.