Third wave of COVID-19 in Nepal

Nepal fears 'third wave' as COVID cases surge

Coronavirus infections continue to rise amid a slow vaccination drive. Reports have also emerged of vaccination centers becoming potential hotspots because of failure to comply with health measures.

As COVID cases continue to rise, Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has warned of a third coronavirus wave, instructing all hospitals and health centers to gear up and prepare necessary measures.

Nepal's second COVID wave in mid-May had overwhelmed the Himalayan nation's health system. Hospitals ran out of oxgen supplies, hospital beds and ventilators. 

"We are at the brink of a third wave as daily cases have increased, hospital beds are being filled up with serious patients, and many cities and towns have declared lockdown measures," Baburam Marasini, a former director of epidemiology and disease control, told DW.

Nepal reported a total of 751,001 COVID cases as of Wednesday with 10,568 related deaths, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University. The country logged between 3,000 and 4,000 daily COVID cases in the past several days. The recorded daily new cases were less than half that number in July and earlier this month.

Health experts have said the virus could spread rapidly in the coming weeks, especially during Nepal's festive season in October and November.

Though authorities started COVID-19 vaccinations as early as in January 2021, inoculation has been severely delayed after India stopped exporting vaccines in March after a devastating virus wave hit the country.

As of August 19, only 16% of Nepal's 30 million inhabitants had received their first dose of jabs, while 12% of the population had been fully vaccinated.

"If we fail to gear up vaccination, we will face yet another deadly wave of the pandemic," Marasini cautioned. "There is a sheer absence of testing and contact tracing in villages and rural parts of the country. This has made it further difficult to contain the virus," he said.

Nepal appeals for vaccines  

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's government has announced plans to vaccinate 21.75 million people by mid-April 2022. To achieve its vaccination goal, the country requires some 45 million doses of vaccines.

Nepal has procured around 10.8 million doses of COVID vaccines so far — most of which were procured or provided as a form of grant assistance from China and India, with about three million doses provided by the US and Japan through the COVAX scheme.

Nepal's Health Secretary Roshan Pokhrel says the government wasn't able to speed up its inoculation drive due to the lack of supply. He told DW that Nepal has begun to procure six million doses of vaccines from China and four million from the US. An additional nine million jabs under the COVAX initiative are also expected to arrive.

"We are further intending to get extra 15 million portions of pokes from Sinovac of China and Pfizer of the USA," he said. "We have engaged all the immunization creating nations to make antibodies accessible either as award help or for purchasing." 

Immunization focuses in danger of being areas of interest 

The greater part of Nepal's new COVID cases have been recorded in significant urban communities, including the public capital Kathmandu and common capitals like Pokhara and Biratnagar, just as towns lining India. Recreational areas, sanctuaries, and cinemas, among others, have been requested to close down until additional notification. 

Pokhara Metropolitan City experts in focal Nepal have given an admonition to all immunization places nearby to maintain wellbeing rules following reports that inoculation habitats could become COVID focal points for neglecting to agree with removing measures. 

"We came here to take immunizations. However, we are taking a chance with our lives while holding up in jam-packed lines to take the hit," Sanu Maya Maharjan, 57, who was lining up for the shot at an inoculation camp in Kathmandu, told DW.

Why is long COVID considered so detrimental right now?

Long COVID or post-COVID syndrome, which is said to affect 1 in 5 COVID patients is said to be a condition when a patient continues to battle lingering symptoms related to the viral illness until weeks or months after recovering. While long COVID has been discussed ever since the pandemic first peaked, the rampant rate of devastation and hospitalizations were seen during the second wave can leave many many with gripping symptoms, and a deteriorating state of health. For the ones with long COVID, debilitating symptoms could range from shortness of breath, recurring infections, malaise, stress, anxiety, sleep disorders, joint pain, brain fog and a heightened risk of complications. Weaker immunity, too, can be a consequence.

Not only can COVID survivors or the ones battling long COVID have symptoms that implicate their vital health, but newer studies have also in fact suggested that in many cases long COVID symptoms can extend for almost a year, and profoundly impact health.