KATHMANDU: Dr Sagar Rajbhandari, Director at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases in Teku, has been administered the first Covid vaccine in Nepal.
Dr Rajbhandari received the first jab of Covishield in Teku as part of the government campaign to vaccinate frontline responders in the first phase that kicked off today.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli launched the vaccination campaign through a video conference from Baluwatar today.
Dr Anup Bastola, the chief consultant at the hospital, was second in line to be given the Covid-19 vaccine gifted by India.
The government plans to administer the Covishield vaccine to 400 frontline responders today from Teku Hospital as part of a plan to inoculate 430,000 people in the first phase. Similarly, 12,000 people will receive the first dose of the Covid vaccine today.
The government will administer vaccines from 120 vaccination centers across the country including 17 in the Kathmandu Valley.
After receiving the jab, Dr Raj Bhandari said that he decided to become the first to get vaccinated to send a message that no one should be afraid of the vaccine.
Frontline responders like doctors and health workers will be administered the Covid vaccine that India has gifted to Nepal last week.
Earlier on Thursday, India had shipped 1 million doses of Covid vaccine to Nepal as part of its ‘vaccine diplomacy’.
