Rishikesh, Aug 2 (PTI) A total of 129 NRIs have received doses of Covishield vaccine here from July 17 till Monday with demand shooting up for the WHO-approved jabs in recent days, Rishikesh's nodal officer for COVID-19 vaccination said.

Several non-resident Indians (NRIs) have demanded Covishield in the hill town here with foreign countries making both two doses of the particular vaccine brand mandatory for granting visa and other documents to NRIs going back to the country where they are staying.

On an average, 15-20 NRIs come to us everyday insisting on getting a Covishield jab, said Santosh Kumar Pant, the nodal officer for COVID vaccination in Rishikesh.

While waiting to receive a jab at a vaccine centre here, Amar Singh said, "I came back here after the restaurant in Milan (Italy) where I work was closed during the second wave of COVID in March."

"Now, the restaurant has reopened and I have been asked to return but two doses of Covishield are a precondition," said the NRI, whose ancestral home is in Shyampur area of Rishikesh.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)