Kathmandu, August 7: The Japanese-made AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday.

Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Kikuta Yutaka attended the hand-over ceremony at the Tribhuvan International Airport in presence of the Minister of State for Health and Population, Umesh Shrestha, Joint Secretary of North East Asia Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Lok Bahadur Thapa, Representative of UNICEF Nepal, Elke Wisch and WHO Representative to Nepal, Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav.

The shipment of the vaccines that arrived on Saturday and the one to arrive on Sunday evening makes half of the 1.6 million doses to be donated by Japan, according to a press statement by the MoFA . On July 13, this year, Japan announced the donation of 1.6 million doses of Japanese-made AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal. 

The remaining half of the 1.6 million doses pledged by Japan will be shipped to Kathmandu shortly, once the arrangements of the relevant organizations are finalized, reads a press statement issued by the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu.

These Japanese-made AstraZeneca COVID vaccines will be administered to the senior citizens who are waiting for second shots of vaccines of this group, according to the MoFA.

 
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