Prime Minister K. Sharma Oli will launch the COVID-19 vaccination drive on Wednesday amid virtual function in all seven provinces. Following the arrival of vaccines from India on Sunday, Nepal is administering the jab to front-line workers in the first phase.

According to Ministry of Health and Population, 430,000 people will receive the vaccine during first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive in Nepal, which will last for about ten days.

Covishield is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine which is being manufactured locally by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been found to be 62-90 percent effective, while two dosages of the jab has to be administered between four and 12 weeks apart.

India has donated 1 million dosage of the Covishield vaccine, which is the local name for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine developed in the UK.

During the first phase of the campaign those who are at high risk of the infection will be injected the vaccine, especially frontline workers including health workers and staffers, security personnel, ambulance drivers, those working in waste management and sanitation, among others.