Kathmandu | Nepal is investigating how a Bahraini prince, who wants to climb Everest, arrived in the country with 2,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine without official approval, authorities said.
Sheikh Mohammad Hamad Mohammad Al Khalifa, who arrived in Kathmandu on Monday, intended to donate doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to a village, according to the Nepalese embassy in Bahrain.
The vaccine doses “were introduced without following the necessary procedure and without prior authorization from our office. We are investigating and will decide if they can be used, ”Santosh KC, spokesperson for the drug administration department, told AFP on Wednesday.
The prince and his team, which includes members of the Bahraini Royal Guard, returned to Nepal where they had already climbed two peaks in the Himalayas in October, Manaslu (8163 m), the eighth highest peak of the world, and the Lobuche (6119 m).
The authorities then granted special permission to the sheikh and his group to enter the country, despite the border closures due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Nepal has now opened its borders to climbers, and the prince and his team were among the first to arrive.
The absence of foreign hikers and mountaineers has weighed heavily on the economy of this poor country where tourism represents 8% of GDP and generates more than a million jobs according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
Mountaineers must observe a quarantine of seven days and present a negative test before starting their expedition.
Nepal began its vaccination campaign in January after receiving one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from India.