Govt to introduce additional COVID-19 vaccines amid emergence of new variants
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has been preparing for this for the past six months.
KATHMANDU: The government is set to introduce additional COVID-19 vaccines following the emergence of new variants of the virus.
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has been preparing for this for the past six months.
The appearance of new variants, identified as ‘KP 1,’ ‘KP 2,’ ‘KP 3,’ and ‘KP 4,’ has prompted the need for more vaccines.
Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, the head of the Child Health and Immunization Section at the Department of Health Services, announced that 1.6 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be procured.
“We have been regularly administering COVID-19 vaccines. However, our current stock is running low,” he said. “Even after the pandemic, we must always remain prepared. With the new variants now identified, we have initiated the process of acquiring more vaccines.”
Currently, the health department has a stock of only 100,000 doses.
Dr. Gautam mentioned that new variants have been appearing every six months, and this acquisition is part of their ongoing preparedness plan.
According to him, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) will provide the Pfizer ‘monovalent’ vaccine as a donation.
At present, individuals traveling abroad, senior citizens, and those with chronic illnesses continue to receive regular COVID-19 vaccinations.
Government hospitals also continue to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
