Bhutan has dispatched about 300,000 vials of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, and they arrived in Kathmandu today. The package reached Tribhuvan International Airport in the morning.
Bhutan sent these doses after it completely vaccinated its citizens. The surplus of vaccines that Bhutan received from the other countries was sent to Nepal.
The vaccine transfer abides by the three-party agreement between AstraZeneca, Nepal, and Bhutan, and wherein anyone would divert their excess vaccine supply to the one in need.
The old-age people of Nepal received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March. With Bhutan’s package, the people will receive the second vaccine dose.
Also, Japan is dispatching 1.6 million vials of the same vaccine to Nepal via the COVAX facility. The Japanese package will arrive in Nepal on Saturday.
The help from Bhutan and Japan is a welcome gesture as many Nepalis are awaiting their booster shot for the past few months. The government of Nepal purchased 2 million AstraZeneca doses from India.
However, only a million were delivered as India banned vaccine exports as the subcontinent was overwhelmed by the second wave. The inability to procure the booster shots for the partially vaccinated drew the ire of the many Nepalis back then.
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