Kathmandu: British Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Nigel Adams has said that the British government is playing a leading role in ensuring equitable access to vaccines for countries including Nepal.
Speaking at an adjournment debate on ‘Covid-19 vaccines and Nepal’ at the House of Commons, Minister Adams said that Covid-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility will be delivered to Nepal in a few weeks.
“Despite supply challenges, COVAX has started to make significant progress in delivering vaccines around the world, with almost 348,000 doses already delivered to Nepal, and another tranche on the way in the next few weeks,” he said.
Stating that the United Kingdom remains committed to supporting Nepal’s development and recovery from Covid-19, Minister Adams said the British government has reprioritized over £40 million of foreign aid to help Nepal respond to the pandemic.
“We sent scores of life-saving equipment to help Nepal respond to the country’s second wave and we have played a leading role in establishing COVAX and ensuring access to vaccines for Nepal—and not just Nepal, but all developing countries,” he added.
Speaking at the beginning of the debate, parliamentarian and Chairperson of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nepal Virendra Sharma briefed the Parliament on the Covid-19 crisis in Nepal stressing that the lack of the second dose has put 1.4 million elderly citizens at high risk from the pandemic.
“The lack of a second dose puts 1.4 million vulnerable Nepalis at high risk of getting Covid-19 once again and risks invalidating their first dose. Partial immunization also increases the risk of mutations emerging, which is a problem not just for Nepal, but for everyone in the world,” said Sharma.
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