FILE - Vials of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in a fridge at the local vaccine center in Ebersberg near Munich, Germany, on Monday, March 22, 2021. Photo: AP via RSS

The consignment of 800,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in Japan will arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday.

The Government of Japan has pledged to donate 1.6 million doses of vaccines to Nepal.

The Japanese embassy in Kathmandu has stated that the vaccines will be transported from Japan. Jhalak Sharma Gautam, head of the vaccination branch, informed that 800,000 doses of vaccine will arrive in Nepal in two days.

Meanwhile, the government is preparing to vaccinate the senior citizens who have been waiting for the booster dose of Covishield manufactured in India.

Nearly 1.4 million senior citizens over the age of 65 years have been waiting for the second dose in Nepal.