KATHMANDU, July 16: 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 resume again 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.
NAC to buy two widebody jets
The NAC has scheduled three flights to the northern neighbor 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 800,000 doses of vaccines from China to resume the vaccination drive 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 said the COVAX facility has promised to provide vaccines that would be sufficient for six million people in Nepal. On July 12, Nepal got 1.534 million Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccines under the COVAX facility.
Prior to this, 348,000 doses of vaccines were supplied to Nepal under the COVAX facility. The government targets to administer the anti-COVID-19 vaccines to 22 million of the population above 18 years of age. So far, 2.62 million people have received 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.
