The government is set to administer Pfizer vaccines against COVID-19 to the immunocompromised people from Sunday.
A total of 100,620 doses of the vaccine, donated by the United States of America, had arrived in Kathmandu on October 25.
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has listed 24 hospitals of all seven provinces to provide the vaccines to the immunocompromised people aged above 12 years.
In this phase, the vaccine will be provided to patients of heart disease, renal failure, kidney patients. Similarly, patients undergoing dialysis, cancer, patients of organ transplant, blood pressure, diabetes, lungs and mentally ill and neurological patients will get the vaccine.
Dr. Krishna Prasad Poudel, spokesperson for the MoHP, said that the patients must take their disease diagnosis proof provided by their physicians to receive the vaccine. The first dose will be provided from November 14-20. The second dose will be provided from December 14-19.
According to the MoHP, the vaccine will be provided from Bir Hospital, Birendra Sainik Hospital, Chhauni, Civil Hospital, TU Teaching Hospital, Sahid Gangalal National Heart Disease Centre, Patan Hospital, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Sahid Dharmabhakta Human Organ Transplant Centre in the Kathmandu Valley.
Similarly, in Province 1, the vaccine will be administered in Mechi Provincial Hospital, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences and Koshi Hospital. In Province 2, vaccine centres are established in Mahendra Narayan Singh Health Science Academy, Narayani Provincial Hospital and Janakpur Provincial Hospital.
Likewise, B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Bharatpur and Dhulikhel Hospital in Bagmati Province will provide the jab.
In Gandaki Province, Pokhaara Health Science Academy and Dhaulagiri Hospital will provide the vaccine. In Lumbini Province, Lumbini Provincial Hospital, Rapti Health Science Academy and Bheri Hospital will have the vaccine centre. In Sudhurpachhim Province, Karnali Provincial Hospital, Seti Provicial Hospital and Dadeldhura Hospital will provide the jab.
It is said that the Pfizer vaccine was 95 per cent effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed infection with the COVID-19.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pfizer vaccine was also highly effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection in adolescents between 12-15 years old, and the immune response in these adolescents was at least as strong as the immune response in people 16-25 years old.
Meanwhile, a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday had approved a proposal of the MoHP to purchase 6 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine under a non-disclosure agreement. Earlier, the government had signed a deal to purchase 4 million doses of Moderna vaccine. Both the vaccines will arrive soon from the USA.
The government has decided to administer COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible people by mid-April next year.
