15% of total population received first dose of COVID-19 vaccine: Minister of State Shrestha

KATHMANDU, Aug 12: Minister of State for Health and Population, Umesh Shrestha, has said 15.5 percent of the population have been given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine so far. 

Giving out information on a topic of public importance in the meeting of the House of Representatives on Thursday, he said so far 2 million 888 thousand 360 citizens have been administered the first dose jabs.

The Minister of State for Health and Population expressed the commitment to present the long-term and short-term plan to fight against COVID-19 pandemic. He shared that the program has been set to administer vaccines to students above 20 years of age for resuming the teaching-learning in their physical presence which has been stalled for long.

The Minister of State informed the House that the government was in the process of procuring more than 30 million doses of vaccines and of this 10 million doses would be supplied within 17 October. He added that arrangements have been made for safely treating the non-COVID patients as they seem to be hesitant to visit the hospitals with the outbreak of the pandemic. Ventilators and medical oxygen have been added.  

Minister of State Shrestha further said preparations have been made to manage and administer vaccines in big cities as well as to the students. He said volunteers would be mobilized for managing the vaccination drive at the village and town level. 

Meanwhile, responding to lawmakers' queries regarding the statement of public importance he made in the House earlier, the Minister of State said the Covishield vaccines that have been bought from India and paid for would be arriving soon.

The previous government had already made the payment for the vaccines. He said the Home Minister has been urged to take action against anyone misusing and committing irregularities regarding the vaccination.

He stressed that the state should pay attention to increasing investment in and the development of the education and health sector as these were the responsibility of the state.