Nepal looks to China and India for COVID-19 jabs

As fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections grow, Nepal is intensifying consultations with Indian and Chinese diplomats in Kathmandu in a bid to get huge supplies of COVID-19 vaccine from its two giant neighbours, writes Surendra Phuyal, a journalist based in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu (Nepal): Nepal is in dire need of Covid-19 vaccines and is in talks with both India and China for huge supplies of vaccines.

Although it’s getting some Sinopharm-developed vaccines as a gift from China, vaccines from India will be crucial as the Himalayan country plans to vaccinate most of its people within a year. Nepal started its vaccination drive on Jan 27, soon after receiving one million doses of Covishield vaccine, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, as a grant or gift just as India launched its ‘vaccine diplomacy’.

Soon, Nepal bought more Covishield vaccine from Serum, and more AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Kathmandu under COVAX facility, a WHO-led initiative aimed at ensuring vaccines to Least Developed Countries. All that helped Nepal vaccinate 1.7 million people belonging to vulnerable groups, including health workers, security personnel, government officials, politicians, journalists and senior citizens over age 65.

In the second phase, Nepal plans to vaccinate more people who may be prone to coronavirus infection and its life-threatening impacts. Immediately, it plans to inoculate people over 55 years of age. As it awaits more Covishield supplies from Serum Institute of India, Nepal is also looking north to Beijing to get fresh supplies of vaccine.

Nepal’s Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi, who has remained busy holding talks with Delhi and Beijing’s envoys in Kathmandu lately, says the government is sending a plane to China this week to bring in 800,000 doses of Sinopharm-developed vaccines that the Himalayan nation is getting as a gift from its northern neighbour. But that may not be enough. Nepal plans to vaccinate 20 million out of its nearly 30 million people within a year.

What that means is that the entire population of the country minus those under the age of 18 or below should get the jab by next January. Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi thinks the Serum Institute of India could help Nepal realize its anti-COVID-19 vaccine plans. He told digital newspaper setopati.com, “As far as vaccine supplies are concerned, Nepal has long-standing ties with Serum. It supplied us vaccines in the past, and we hope it will be able to supply us enough Covishield vaccine this time around, too.”

And Nepal wants the jab at a reasonable price. Initially, Serum charged US$ 4 per dose of Covishield for Nepal. Officials felt that was a good price compared to other vaccines. And as it awaits more Covishield supplies, Nepal’s health authorities are slightly upset about the fact that the Covishield jab is getting costlier. Now the price of Covishield has been jacked up to US$ 5 per dose for the new consignment that Nepal is looking to order. “It’s costlier because of the 10 per cent commission charge for the supplying agent,” Health Minister Tripathi said, adding, “We are trying to avoid that kind of commission charge. That’s why there’s some delay.”

As of March 15, Nepal conducted over 2.2 million PCR tests and it recorded 275,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 3,014 deaths. Now, with new coronavirus cases being detected mainly among people returning from India and other countries, fears of a second wave are looming large.