By PTI
KATHMANDU: China will provide Nepal medical assistance worth 5 million RMB (USD 775,590) and an additional 1 million anti-COVID-19 vaccines to help the country tackle a possible third wave of the pandemic, Minister of State for Health Umesh Shrestha announced on Wednesday.
The announcement by Shresta came after his meeting with Chinese ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi during which various matters related to health affairs of the country were discussed.
“As a part of its consistent support to Nepal, the Govt. of China will also provide medical assistance worth 5 million RMB equivalent to 92.4 million Nepalese rupees to Nepal to install preventive measures in our health system in a bid to save lives from (possible) the third wave of the pandemic,” said Shrestha in a tweet.
The additional grant of anti-COVID vaccine that China will provide is SinoVac, according to the officials at the Ministry of Health and Population.
Of the 1 million doses of Sinovac, 300,000 will be given to the Nepali Army.
Prior to this, China had provided Verocell vaccines to Nepal and the Nepal government had also purchased the same vaccines from China.
The State Minister also informed that the “China-aided 1.6 million Verocell will arrive in Kathmandu between October 20 to 23.”
According to Shrestha, Verocell accounts for more than 50 per cent of all the anti-COVID vaccines administered to the people in Nepal.
“It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that we’ve administered 8.3 million Verocell vaccines that is more than 50 per cent of the total jabs administered so far,” said Shrestha.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has confirmed 1,043 new cases of coronavirus infection across Nepal on Wednesday, taking the country’s COVID-19 tally to 892,267.
As of Wednesday, there are 16,194 corona active cases across the country.
In the past 24 hours, 891 people have recovered while 12 deaths were reported.
Of the total cases so far, 772,229 people have achieved recovery.
Likewise, 11,192 died, according to the ministry.
