Nepal has sought another five million of Covishield vaccine from the Serum Institute of India, The Nepal government had earlier also signed a contract for the delivery of two million doses of Covishield, of which one million doses has already been delivered. 

A report in The Kathmandu Post says the authorities in Nepal have forwarded their request to the Serum Institute, but they are yet to receive a positive response. 

Health authorities in the country estimated that the country would need around 5 million additional doses to provide the second jab to all those who have already got their first dose.

There is also pressure on the government to ramp up vaccination as in recent weeks fresh infections recorded a spurt, including in neighbouring India. Nepal, too, has discovered few cases of the UK strain which spreads faster than other strains of the virus. 

Officials are also worried about the growing trend of not taking enough precautions. Another report in The Kathmandu Post found that the sale of masks and sanitizers has in fact dropped to almost 50 percent in the country.

Doctors in the country warned if this trend continues, “we may find ourselves heading towards a public health catastrophe”.

Some entrepreneurs who have invested big in mask and sanitizer productions are now disheartened as the sales of both have dropped.