KATHMANDU : The COVID-19 vaccines being donated by Japan is expected to arrive in Nepal on Saturday.

According to Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, the first shipment of the Japan-made AstraZeneca vaccines will arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday, while the second shipment is expected to arrive in Kathmandu a day later.

The two shipments will bring about 800,000 of the total 1.6 million vaccines pledged by the Government of Japan to Nepal. “The latter half of the Japanese-donated vaccines for Nepal will be shipped to Kathmandu in due course, under the arrangements with the relevant organizations,” said a press statement issued by the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu.

Ambassador of Japan to Nepal Kikuta Yutaka expressed confidence that these Japanese COVID-19 vaccines will be utilized expeditiously for the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with a good coordination by the Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal. “In this pandemic, the Embassy of Japan has been tackling COVID-19 together with the Government of Nepal to save more Nepali people’s lives,” he said.

Officials at the Ministry of Health and Population said they are preparing to administer the vaccines received from Japan to those who have already received the first doze of AstraZeneca vaccine but awaiting for the second dose. The government had earlier administered the vaccines to elderly people.