June 18: The government has said that the process to get vaccines from different countries including China is still ongoing.

Issuing a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Health and Population also refuted media reports that the government has decided to procure Covid-19 vaccines from China. 

“The process to secure more vaccines from different countries including China is still ongoing,” read the statement. “The media reports on quantity, price, delivery, and other relevant information about the vaccine procurement are, therefore, premature, inaccurate, speculative and misleading,” it added. 

The statement follows recent media reports claiming that the government has decided to purchase four million doses of Sinopharm vaccines from China without disclosing the price.

China has already provided Nepal 1.8 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines as grant assistance. 

In its statement, the ministry also said that the government has approached Covid-19 vaccine producing countries to provide, on grant or procurement basis, the vaccine.