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KATHMANDU, JANUARY 16
It was shocking to learn that there is no more stock of Covishield booster jabs at the Teku Hospital meant for the treatment of tropical and infectious diseases. I myself had gone there looking for the vaccine after failing to find it anywhere else. Isn't it a reflection of our government's poor preparation to combat such a terrifying new wave of the corona epidemic that is entering the country from multiple sources?
The pandemic, which had the entire world in its grip, paralysing almost all sectors, including tourism, political, educational, social and economic fronts in the past, is now all set to re-enter Nepal in a deadlier form after a one-year-gap as cases of COVID-19 have significantly increased in various Asian countries, including China, India, Japan and South Korea, where Nepali people have high mobility.
While the well-equipped nations have been struggling to contain the new variant BF7-dominant pandemic, what would be the condition of Nepal if it is ill prepared to combat it in time?
So far kids below 15 are yet to get their last jabs whereas only 27.3 per cent of the population has received booster shots as per the official report, leaving the rest highly prone to the pandemic.
We had suffered badly due to the fragile preparation in the past. More than 12,000 people succumbed to the virus whereas more than 1 million people have been infected. Many patients were deprived of proper treatment, leading to death owing to lack of essential services and human resource, including hospital beds, doctors, nurses, test kits, vaccines, medicines, PPE, ventilators and oxygen.
So, as the saying goes a stitch in time saves nine, the authorities, correcting the past flaws, should now be extra smart in bringing high mobility areas - border points, airports and public places - that could be an easy source for the spread of the virus, under strict surveillance in time. The authorities must make the PCR or rapid tests mandatory for passengers arriving from infected areas. Any patient found must be quarantined until recovery.
The government should urge the general public to abide by the health protocols of hand-washing, sanitisation and masking up besides maintaining social distancing and running an awareness campaign to ward off the virus.
Estimating the potential number of patients, the government should make its treatment plans and policy accordingly, making available enough health centres, manpower and equipment. The authorities should conduct a mock drill to prepare health facilities for a possible health emergency so that they can provide emergency health services effectively if need be to save lives.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
