KATHMANDU, May 27: The COVID-19 has been confirmed in seven individuals in Nepal, prompting the government to implement precautionary measures amid rising cases in neighboring countries, especially China and India.
Based on past experiences where a surge in cases in India led to the spread of the virus in Nepal, Dr Chandrabal Jha, Director of the Epidemiology & Disease Control Division (EDCD), emphasized the need for timely vigilance. “Seeing the increase in India, we have also kept our control measures prepared,” he said.
A few days ago, a discussion was held with Health Minister Pradip Paudel regarding preparedness, and health desks have already been set up at border crossings and airports, Dr Jha said. “We have instructed the health directorates of all seven provinces to remain on alert, and we are prepared to immediately dispatch test kits if needed,” he said. He also mentioned that a request has been made to the ministry for the procurement of additional test kits.
How to help vulnerable groups
Seeing the spread of COVID-19 in India, Nepal is also closely monitoring its own situation, Dr Jha stated. According to regular testing data, seven people have recently tested positive for the virus. Among them, one case was confirmed by the National Public Health Laboratory, while six cases are from Kavre district. Since the infected individuals from Kavre have no history of travel to India, their infections are considered to be locally transmitted.
“We have contacted the infected individuals by phone to check on their condition, and they are all in stable condition,” he said. All confirmed cases were detected during routine testing. So far, the number of infections in Nepal has not risen sharply, so genome sequencing has not been conducted, Dr Jha explained. He added that genome sequencing will be carried out if a large number of cases are confirmed.
Dr Jha suggested that although the COVID-19 variant spreading in India has not shown severe impact and is not a highly virulent strain, it can still affect the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, so caution is necessary. According to Dr Jha, all citizens are urged to continue wearing masks and maintaining hand hygiene in crowded places, just as before.
Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, Coordinator of the Research Branch at Sukraraj Tropical & Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, stated that the impact of COVID-19 currently seen in neighboring countries has not been severe. However, he advised that high-risk age groups and individuals with chronic illnesses should remain cautious. According to Dr Pun, the World Health Organization has stated that the COVID-19 variants currently observed in various countries are not severe strains, so there is no need to panic. “It does not appear to be as severe as the rumors,” he said.
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