The United States has donated 664,560 new doses of Pfizer vaccine to Nepal to help it intensify its fight against the coronavirus, the US Embassy said here on Friday.
The new doses of Pfizer vaccine given to Nepal free of cost is in addition to the doses the US had provided early this year when the cases of coronavirus were constantly on a rise.
"The US government has donated an additional 664,560 doses of Pfizer vaccine to Nepal government to fight COVID-19. These highly effective life-saving vaccines for ages 12 and older add to the 100,620 doses of Pfizer vaccines and 1.535 million single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines the United States gifted to Nepal earlier this year," the US Embassy in Kathmandu said in a statement.
This support augments the more than USD 122 million in assistance provided (excluding including vaccine costs) to Nepal to-date in the form of life-saving medical supplies, training, and technical support, the statement added.
The US said it is donating vaccines free of cost and without preconditions, as part of the United States' ongoing support to Nepal during the pandemic.
"In addition, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UNICEF are partnering with Nepal to distribute these vaccines, including safely and equitably to regions where they are urgently needed and encouraging people to get vaccinated, the statement further stated.
"We are pleased that these vaccines, now authorised for children 12 to 17, will be primarily used to keep children safe and healthy, Sepideh Keyvanshad, the USAID Mission Director, said.
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