Kathmandu:
Nepal launched its biggest immunisation campaign on Wednesday with its initially coronavirus vaccinations for healthcare workers, following a present of one million doses from India.
Wearing a conventional black peaked cap and sleeveless red vest, a medical professional at a teaching hospital in the capital, Kathmandu, became the initially recipient of a dose taken from a bed of ice in a cubical blue cooler and injected by masked and gowned employees.
“We have a new weapon now and I hope we will be able to defeat the coronavirus soon,” stated Dinesh Kafle, 50, right after he was applauded by these queuing for their turn even though he sat in a white-walled area prior to a poster marketing the campaign.
Tens of thousands of Nepal’s frontline wellness workers are set to acquire India’s AstraZeneca vaccine, caretaker Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli stated as the drive started.
“We are in talks with India to procure more vaccines at a proper price,” added Oli, who is wooing well-known help at a time when he is searching for early elections.
This month, India stated it would give millions of vaccine doses to its South Asian neighbours, drawing their praise in what could prove a pushback against China’s acitivities in the area.
Authorities say China, which had promised to assist Nepal deal with the pandemic, has but to get clearance for its Sinopharm shots.
“We have been able to begin our vaccination drive within a week after India began,” stated Oli, lately thrown out of the ruling Communist party by opponents more than his abrupt December selection to dissolve parliament and seek an early election.
With a population of more than 30 million, Nepal’s tally of infections stands at 270,092, with 2,017 deaths.