KATHMANDU: The government has started administering a booster dose of vaccine against COVID19 to front-liners from Monday.

The government has been vaccinating targeted populations against the coronavirus in line with its goals. The incumbent government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, formed six months ago, had prioritized vaccinating citizens against coronavirus and aimed to vaccinate two-thirds of the target population by mid-January and all those above the age of 16 by mid-April.

The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has so far vaccinated 79.5 percent of the target population with the first dose and 61 percent with the full dose. The MoHP said they were positive about achieving vaccination targets of the government.

Similarly, vaccination in Manang, Mustang and Kaski has taken place in 100 percent of the population.

Similarly, a booster dose will be given to all senior citizens above 60 years of age and persons with low immunity from January 28. Work to that end has also begun.

Similarly, the MoHP is vaccinating children in the age group of 12 to 17 years with Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

Dr. Bivek Kumar Lal, director of the family welfare division of Department of Health Services, said that 52 percent of the children have been vaccinated with the first dose and 0.1 percent with the full dose so far.