The government is confident about administering the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine within 16 to 20 weeks after the first dose. Foreign minister Dr Tandi Dorji said this during the question-answer session of the national assembly today.
The government initially planned to administer the second dose within eight to twelve weeks after the first dose. However, the foreign minister said research has also proven that the vaccine will be effective even if the second dose is given within a gap of 16 to 20 weeks.
“We are requesting about seventeen countries to support our vaccination drive. In the last three days, we also considered procuring vaccine from Japan, Denmark and the USA. We are sure that the second dose will be given and it is just a matter of time right now.”
The foreign minister also informed the house that the International Assistant Desk of the foreign ministry sought support from about 20 countries through multilateral and bilateral partners.
“From multilateral institutions, we received about Nu 291 M in the form of both fund and infrastructure. And from bilateral institutions, we have acquired about Nu 371 M both in the form of budget and equipment.”
The government is also expecting to acquire the Pfizer vaccine which will be used to immunize children between the age group of 12 and 17.
Today marks 12 weeks since the country carried out the mass vaccination campaign on 27th March.
Meanwhile, the rollout of the first dose of the Covishield vaccine amounted to Nu 220 M which was supported by India.
Kinzang Lhadon
