President of Nepal Right Honorable Bidya Devi Bhandari’s letter addressed to the President of the United States His Excellency Joseph R. Biden, Jr. regarding Nepal’s request for vaccine support was handed over by Ambassador H.E. Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada to Mr. Ervin Massinga, State Department’s Senior Advisor, in an in-person meeting at the State Department on May 28, 2021.
During the meeting, Ambassador Khatiwada briefed Mr. Massinga about the latest pandemic situation in Nepal and Nepal’s vaccination plan. He reiterated to Mr. Massinga Nepal’s request for vaccine support from the US Government. Nepal expects a generous amount of AZ vaccine doses in light of the close and long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries and the recent alarming surge in COVID-19 cases in Nepal. Ambassador Khatiwada conveyed Nepal’s intention to buy J & J vaccines from Janssen Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Pharmaceutical Company. Mr. Massinga assured that the US Government deeply sympathizes with Nepal’s current pandemic situation, and that the US Government will expedite the process, as far as possible, for the allocation of a fair share of the AZ vaccine doses to Nepal through the COVAX and bilateral arrangements. Friday, May 28, 2021.