The second dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine ‘Vero Cell’ will be administered in the Kathmandu Valley from May 16 to those who have received their first dose.

The Teku-based Health Office issued a notice on Tuesday regarding the same as per the decision made by the Ministry of Health and Population on May 5.

People between the age group of 19 to 59 years can get the second dose of the China-made vaccine.

Various vaccination centers in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Kirtipur, Chandragiri, Nagarjuna, Tarkeshwar, Tokha, Budhanilkantha, Gokarneshwar, Shankarapur and Kageshwari municipalities will administer the vaccine, as per the Health Office’s notice.

The vaccine, which is manufactured by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd (BIBP), China, under Sinopharm, was approved for emergency use against Covid-19 in Nepal on February 17.

As many as 800,000 doses of Vero Cell vaccine provided by the Chinese government as grant assistance had arrived in Kathmandu on March 29 in a wide body airplane of the national flag carrier, which had gone to Beijing to ferry the vaccines back home.

Kathmandu residents received the first dose of China developed vaccine on April 9. The Chinese vaccines have not been distributed outside of Kathmandu valley.