The government is all set to roll out the second dose of anti-COVID vaccine from Tuesday.

The second jab will be provided from April 20 to 24 to those who received the first shot between January 28 and February 22 earlier this year.

According to Jhalak Sharma Gautam, Head of Vaccination Branch under the Department of Health Services of the Ministry of Health and Population, the second dose will be given to 439,000 people who have received the first dose of Covishield vaccine.

Covishield is developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has stated that people must receive the required doses of anti-COVID vaccines of the same brand.

Those vaccinated on January 27, 28, 29, 30 and February 8 will be provided second dose on April 20.

Those who were vaccinated on January 31, February 1, 2, 3 and 9 will be given the second dose on April 21.

Those who took the first dose on February 4, 5, 6 and 10 are scheduled to take the second dose on April 22.

Similarly, those vaccinated on February 11, 15, 16, 17 and 18 will be vaccinated on April 23 and those who were vaccinated on February 12, 19, 20, 21 and 22 will be provided second dose on April 24.

MoHP has requested the public to carry their vaccination cards and identity cards with them when going for the second dose.

As many as 19 hospitals have been designated as vaccination centers in Kathmandu — Bir Hospital, Maternity Hospital Thapali, Shukraraj Hospital, Civil Hospital, Ayurveda Research and Training Center, Nepal Medical College, Kathmandu Medical College, Himal Hospital, Hams Hospital, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Boudha Stupa Hospital, Gangalal National Heart Center, Om Hospital, Janamaitri Hospital, Motherland Hospital, Birendra Sainik Hospital, Armed Police Hospital and Nepal Police Hospital.

People can visit nearby hospitals, as per convenience, between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm for their second dose.

In the first phase, the first dose of Covishield vaccines, provided by the Government of India as grant, was administered to frontline workers, health professionals, security personnel, government employees, journalists, officials of diplomatic missions, embassies and those working with the United Nations.

People above 60 years of age and parliamentarians also received the first dose of Covishield vaccines.

The government started administering 800,000 doses of the China-made Vero Cell vaccine — provided by the Chinese government to Nepal as a grant from April 7. The vaccination drive came to an end yesterday.

But only around 100,000 of the Chinese vaccines had been used as of Sunday, according to Jhalak Gautam, chief of the National Immunisation Programme.

Nepal recorded 1,096 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the highest since December 11 when the number crossed the 1,000 mark.

The case positivity rate was 19 percent on Sunday. Experts say that positivity rate more than five percent is a cause for concern.