Kathmandu: Nepal has approved the use of the Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine Covishield in case of emergency to fight the coronavirus. According to a statement issued by the Department of Drug Administration of Nepal, the decision to sanction the vaccine was taken on Friday. About 1,950 people have died so far from the epidemic in Nepal.

According to the statement, "Nepal has been given conditional approval for use in case of emergency of Covishield vaccine against coronavirus. The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is providing the vaccine to several medium and low-income countries other than the Government of India in partnership with the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). The Serum Institute is the world's largest vaccine producer. During the sixth meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission, Nepal congratulated the Indian External Affairs Ministry for achieving success in developing Covishield and Covaxin and has urged Nepal to vaccinate at the earliest.

According to media reports, about 1 crore 20 lakh vaccines are going to be sought from the Nepalese side.  7 to 8 crore vaccine doses are being prepared every month in The Serum Institute. It is being planned to determine how many doses will be given to India and abroad. The Ministry of Health has arranged its transportation and storage. Many countries in the world are seeking serum vaccine from India and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). SII is also trying to give the vaccine to Africa and South America.

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