The wait for the first jab

The government cannot let the lack of infrastructure come in the way of Covid-19 vaccination drive.

With Nepal's drug regulator giving emergency use approval for Covishield, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca and produced regionally by the Serum Institute of India, the country is finally gearing up for a mass inoculation drive. The government is understood to be holding high-level talks to import the vaccines at the earliest. India on Tuesday announced it would begin to supply vaccines from Wednesday as a goodwill gesture to neighbouring countries including Nepal. So we can expect to see the first jab being given by the end of the month.