Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli takes India made vaccine Covishield

Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli received his first dose of India-made Covid-19 vaccine – Covishield yesterday. Prime Minister Oli got vaccinated at the Maharajgunj-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu. After receiving the vaccine, PM Oli urged the eligible group to take the vaccine without any fear in order to defeat Covid-19. The vaccine was also administered on PM Oli’s wife Radhika Shakya. 69-year Oli has a history of comorbidities and underwent a kidney transplant in 2020.

The second phase of the inoculation drive officially began in Nepal yesterday. In the second phase, people over 65 years all across the country will get inoculated against the coronavirus. Nepal earlier this year received one million doses of Covishield vaccine from India in grant assistance and procured another two million, out of which one million is awaited.

Covishield, made by Serum Institute of India (SII), is the only vaccine being administered in Nepal. India, under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, has been providing coronavirus vaccines to its neighbouring countries.