LOGIN DASHBOARD

    COVID19

    Features

    5 MIN READ

    Vaccinations to resume Wednesday with Chinese-made vaccines

    Ishita Shahi, April 6, 2021, Kathmandu

    Vaccinations to resume Wednesday with Chinese-made vaccines

      Share this article

    While all vaccinations so far have been the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, Nepal will now be rolling out the vaccines from Sinopharm

    On April 5, Health Minister Hridayash Tripathi sounded a dire warning, telling the House of Representatives that a second Covid-19 wave could sweep the nation by May if necessary precautions were not taken. 

    Tripathi’s fears could well materialize, given the steady rise in the number of new coronavirus cases over the past month. From 66 cases on March 7 to 266 on April 5, the increase has been incremental but there, nonetheless. A second wave is currently sweeping India, -- over 100,000 new cases were registered on Monday, April 5 -- and public health experts are afraid that Nepal, which has gone back to life-as-normal, could soon follow.

    Data showing the number of coronavirus cases from March 1, 2021 to April 6, 2021. Image: Ministry of Health and Population

    But the government and most Nepalis appear to be resting easy on the fact that Nepal has started vaccinations. The country rolled out vaccinations on January 27, well before many countries across the world, but it has so far only managed to vaccinate 1.6 million people, according to the Health Ministry. This is just around 5.2 percent of Nepal’s 29 million population.   

    Nepal has roughly 600,000 shots of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccines in stock at the moment, which it plans to administer as second doses beginning April 20. But for the rest of the population, it will have to rely on other vaccines, namely the one developed by Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, as India has placed an unofficial halt on the export of the Covishield vaccine, which is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. The Indian government has said that it would “export vaccines taking into account the domestic demand.” Nepal has paid for 2 million doses of Covishield vaccine, half of which have yet to arrive.

    With the arrival of the Sinopharm vaccine on March 29, Nepal will now continue with the second phase of vaccinations from April 7, Wednesday. While the vaccine received emergency approval from the Department of Drug Administration on February 17, there have been concerns about the vaccine’s efficacy. The vaccine is under “assessment” at the World Health Organization with results to be declared by mid-April. 

    Public health experts in Nepal say that there is nothing to fear. 

    “Tests in the United Arab Emirates show that the Sinopharm vaccine is more than 80 percent effective, which is a clear indication that the vaccine is working well,” said Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, a virologist at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital. “There’s no need to be hesitant about this vaccine because so far, there have not been any complications observed in the people who have been inoculated with this vaccine.” 

    According to Dr Jhalak Gautam, chief of the vaccine section at the Department of Health, the Sinopharm vaccine will be deployed on those who have yet to be vaccinated from the earlier target groups, those who’ve applied for vaccines, and Nepali students going to study or already studying in China under scholarship.

    In a strange turn of affairs, Bahraini prince Mohamed Hamad Mohamed al-Khalifa arrived in Kathmandu on March 15 with 2,000 vaccine doses. The prince was in Nepal to climb Everest but had reportedly planned to donate to a village in Gorkha. Although initially reported to be the AstraZeneca vaccine, local media have since said that the vaccines were developed by Sinopharm. These doses are likely to also be deployed. 

    While Covaxin, another Indian-made vaccine with efficacy concerns, has also received emergency authorization, Nepali officials say that there is no current plan to import this particular vaccine, primarily due to its cost. Covaxin reportedly costs up to $16 a dose while the AstraZeneca Covishield costs $4 per dose, reported The Kathmandu Post. 

    New vaccinations can now be conducted with the Sinopharm vaccine but for those who’ve already received the Covishield dose, things could get more difficult. Experts do not recommend mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines. 

    “Although many say it is safe, research is ongoing on whether it is safe or not. So for now, it is better to take the second jab from the same vaccine company,” said Dr Pun.

    With the vaccination drive slowed down and Covid-19 cases rising, there is no clear timeline on when ordinary citizens who do not fall into any target group can elect to get vaccines on their own.  

    “The current focus is on getting as many people inoculated as possible with at least the first dose. About the second dose, we will make sure that the vaccine will be from the same company,” said Dr Gautam. 



    author bio photo

    Ishita Shahi  Ishita Shahi is a reporter at The Record.

      



    Comments

    Get the best of

    the Record

    Previous Next

    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    COVID19

    5 min read

    No real change in Valley’s Covid case numbers, despite recent dips

    The Record - September 7, 2020

    Even as health experts push for more tests, govt has started scaling them down

    Week in Politics

    5 min read

    Longer lockdown, foul play in Covid19 med deal, PM's heart rate spike, and succour for businesses and the poor

    The Record - March 29, 2020

    Week in politics: what happened, what does it mean, why does it matter?

    Features

    4 min read

    An increasingly intolerant government targets journalists

    The Record - May 22, 2020

    The pandemic has provided authorities with an excuse to curb journalistic expression

    COVID19

    News

    4 min read

    Covid19 Roundup, 12 April: Covid cases reach 12, WB predicts economic crisis, leaders call to let migrants in

    The Record - April 12, 2020

    A daily summary of Covid19 related developments that matter

    Perspectives

    COVID19

    5 min read

    Fear not the Covid vaccines 

    Ramu Kharel - December 30, 2020

    A Nepali-American doctor in the US who has gotten vaccinated presents his thoughts on what Nepalis can expect from the vaccines that could be available here

    COVID19

    Features

    5 min read

    How the equity gap affects access to Covid tests and treatment

    Roshan Sedhai , Record Nepal - October 6, 2020

    While the affluent can pick and choose, for many who are poor, Covid treatment is a distant reality

    Opinions

    6 min read

    Supposed ‘suicides’ point towards police incompetence

    Abha Lal - June 2, 2020

    Angira’s death is one more example of brutality against Dalit bodies

    Features

    6 min read

    The lockdown, one year on

    The Record - March 24, 2021

    A year ago Nepal first went into lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19. A year later, new cases are rising once again.

    • About
    • Contributors
    • Jobs
    • Contact

    CONNECT WITH US

    © Copyright the Record | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy