Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali dialed Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and asked for his assistance in fast-tracking the supply of vaccines from the Serum Institute of India (SII), media reports say. 

Nepal had earlier placed an order for 2 million doses of Covishield from the SII. Of which, it had already received a million doses. The delivery remaining one million doses - earlier expected on 2 April - has been delayed by at least six weeks. 

Gyawali requested Jaishankar “for necessary facilitation for the supply of vaccines for Nepal to continue administering the second dose of vaccination for people at highest risk.”

A statement released by Nepal’s foreign ministry said Jaishankar assured him of India’s continued assistance in its fight against the Covid-19, including in supplying vaccines. 

The two foreign ministers have also held discussions on border control measures amid surging cases, a report in the Kathmandu Post says. However, it wasn’t mentioned in any official release. 

For a few weeks now, as India reporting over 100,000 cases now,  thousands of Nepali have started returning to Nepal from India. The influx has heightened the risk of the spread of coronavirus in Nepal also. Bordering Indian states, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are reporting a spike in cases.