Focused COVID-19 Media Monitoring, Nepal

Focused COVID-19 Media Monitoring Nepal1

-Sharpening the COVID-19 Response through Communications Intelligence

Date: July 12, 2021 Kathmandu, Nepal

EMERGING THEME(S)

• 1.5 million doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sent by the United States under COVAX will arrive in Nepal on July 12; authorities have not decided who will be given the single-shot vaccine • World Bank tells Nepal not to wait for free vaccines, but order them by paying; Nepal not using loan provided by World Bank in the purchase of vaccine from China • Government to give permission to more companies, individuals to import COVID-19 vaccines after those who had been granted permission failed to do so • Nepal reported 1,237 new COVID-19 cases, 20 fatalities on July 11; COVID-19 infections have risen in 14 districts in last two weeks; Nepal still at risk as COVID-19 positivity rate stands at 22.3 per cent; COVID-19 infections on the rise in Rupandehi, Banke after relaxation of restrictions; Delta variant detected in five swab samples from Gandaki Province; health expert warns with no proper mechanism to check the spread of virus, situation in Kathmandu Valley can become uncontrollable, similarly in rest of the nation • National Public Health Laboratory has started whole-genome sequencing tests in own laboratory • Bahrain offers free COVID-19 vaccine for all expats, including illegal immigrants — only 50 Nepalis turn up to get inoculated; Qatar removes mandatory quarantine on arrival for those who’ve been completely vaccinated

1 This intelligence is tracked through manually monitoring national print, digital and online media through a representative sample selection, and consultations with media persons and media influencers.

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RECURRING THEME(S)

• Government has completed legal formalities to allow clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines in Nepal • Frontline healthcare workers of different districts deployed in first COVID-19 pandemic wave still have not received promised risk allowance

ISSUE(S) IN FOCUS

The 1.5 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine provided by the USA will arrive in Nepal on July 12. According to Rajan Bhattarai, Advisor to the Prime Minister, Nepal will be getting the vaccine as grant assistance under the COVAX program.2 The government officials have said no decision has been made on who will get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine arriving in Nepal on July 12. The discussions are going on regarding who to give the vaccine to and from when, as per Dr Jhalak Gautam, Chief of the Immunization Division.3 Many applications have been made for the vaccine but the first priority will be given on the basis of age group, Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari, Joint Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population said regarding the distribution of the 1.5 million doses of vaccine that Nepal is receiving from the USA via the COVAX program. Discussions are on to prioritize people who are below the age of 60, and those who need to go abroad, as per Dr Adhikari.4

2 Nagarik 3 Onlinekhabar 4 Setopati

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The Ministry of Health and Population has said the 1,534,850 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be given to the frontline workers. Members of Scouts, drivers and helpers will be amongst them. However, it is not sure if teachers working in the frontline will be given the vaccine.5 According to Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, they are holding discussions on the section of population that will be given the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be received on July 12, and the Vero Cell vaccine that arrived in Nepal on July 9. However, the local levels can start giving the Vero Cell vaccine as per their preparations after the next two days, he said.6 The United States on July 9 sent 1.5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal, and 500,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine to Bhutan, a White House official said. The shipments are part of the Joe Biden administration’s pledge to share an initial batch of 80 million US-made vaccines globally amid concern about the wide disparity in vaccination rates between advanced and developing countries.7 The authorities are yet to decide who will get the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine although discussions are going on about giving them to migrant workers waiting to be vaccinated to go abroad. According to officials at the Ministry of Health and Population, discussions are being held to provide the single shot vaccine to those migrant workers who have stuck due to the vaccination issue.8

As Nepal scrambles to secure COVID-19 vaccines, the World Bank, a major donor which has committed funds to buy the jabs, has said the country must not wait for free vaccines and order them by paying. Nepal should not wait for free vaccines and should immediately reserve them by paying, Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank’s country director for Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, told Nepali journalists during a virtual meeting on July 8. He urged Nepal to immediately sign up for COVAX’s second window under which countries can purchase vaccines.9 The loan provided by the World Bank will not be used to procure 4,000,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China. Nepal is buying the vaccines from China under a non-disclosure agreement. The World Bank should have the information on whether

5 Baarhakhari 6 Ratopati 7 Reuters (in The Himalayan Times) 8 The Kathmandu Post 9 The Kathmandu Post

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the protocols of transparency have been followed when a nation makes any kind of agreement with another party in the procurement process in which the Bank is involved, as per Faris Hadad-Zervos, the Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In the context that the World Bank is unaware of the agreement made during the vaccine procurement from China, the Nepal government will not use the World Bank’s loan to make the payment for those vaccines, he said.10

After the limited number of individuals and companies, who had got the permission to import the COVID-19 vaccines, have been unable to do so, the government is preparing to give permission to more companies and individuals to import the vaccines to Nepal. The policy-level decision to allow people with good relationship with the vaccine-producing companies to import the vaccine if they are willing to do so has been already made, as per Bharat Bhattarai, Director General of the Department of Drug Administration.11

Nepal's coronavirus caseload reached 655,449 on July 11 with 1,237 more people testing positive for the infection in the past 24 hours, the countrywide COVID-19 mortality toll shifted to 9,382 with 20 more fatalities. Nepal's COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 94.6 per cent and the fatality rate stands at 1.5 per cent. 12

The number of COVID-19 infections has increased in 14 districts including Kathmandu in the last two weeks, as per Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population. Ilam, Khotang, Jhapa, Dhankuta, Kaski, Syangja, Pyuthan, Dolpa, Mugu, Kanchanpur, Bajhang, Bajura, Chitwan, and Kathmandu have seen a rise in the infection. This might be due to the relaxation of some provisions of the prohibitory orders, he said.13

Nepal is still at risk on the basis of the COVID-19 test positivity rate, according to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP). The test positivity rate is 22.3 per cent in Nepal at present, informed Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, Spokesperson at the MoHP. As per this rate, the result of one out of every five people tested for the infection comes out as positive, he said.14

The rate of COVID-19 infection has escalated again after the relaxation of prohibitory orders in Rupandehi and Banke districts.

10 Nayatpatrika 11 Kantipur 12 THT Online 13 Onlinekhabar 14 Baarhakhari

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According to healthcare workers, the virus has started to spread rapidly in the settlements since people have stopped following safety protocols and maintaining physical distance in public areas.15

The Delta variant has been detected in the Gandaki Province. It was confirmed in all five samples sent for genome sequencing to Kathmandu on June 14, as per the Gandaki Province Health Directorate. The variant was found in two males from Kaligandaki Rural Municipality of Syangja, and three females from Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality of Gorkha.16

Around 22 million Nepalis are yet to be vaccinated. The Ministry of Health and Population’s data show that 2,604,866 people have so far received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine and of them 757,962 have received both doses. Similarly, some 1.4 million elderly citizens who were inoculated with the Covishield vaccine in March are yet to get their second dose. With the reopening of shops and businesses and resumption of public transport, public mobility has increased markedly in the Valley, but at the same time violation of COVID-19 safety protocols has also increased. Public vehicles are carrying passengers beyond their seating capacities, streets and business hubs are crowded and restaurants are providing dine-in services. Political protests are also ongoing. If the crowding continues with no proper mechanism to check the spread of the virus, the situation in Kathmandu Valley can become uncontrollable, warned Dr Baburam Marasini, former director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.17

At a time when the administration has relaxed lockdown restrictions to continue with human and economic activities for some days, a public health expert has warned of increasing health risk of the deadly contagion in the absence of strict implementation of safety protocols. The coronavirus infection rate is still at 25 to 30 per cent; neither has the government expedited mass testing for the virus, nor has the public shown interest in it, said public health expert Dr Rabindra Pande.18

15 The Kathmandu Post 16 Baarhakhari 17 The Kathmandu Post 18 Rastriya Samachar Samiti (in The Himalayan Times)

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Seven employees working in the Dharche Rural Municipality of Gorkha have been infected with COVID-19. However, as there is pressure of work as the end of the current fiscal year is nearing, they are continuing their work in isolation.19

The National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) has started performing whole-genome sequencing tests in its own laboratory. The whole-genome sequencing technology was set up with financial assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO). “We have already performed a whole-genome sequencing test of over 100 swab samples of the infected people,” Rajesh Kumar Gupta, Spokesperson for NPHL, said. The tests are being conducted under the supervision of the technicians deployed by the WHO. Researchers believe that whole-genome sequencing of coronavirus could be instrumental in tracking the severity and properties of the virus.20

The Nepali mission in Bahrain, a labor destination for Nepali workers in the Persian Gulf, has a unique problem. As part of its COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Bahrain government has offered free vaccines to all including expats on its soil. As a result, Nepali migrant workers living and working in the Gulf state are being inoculated. Bahrain has offered to vaccinate illegal immigrants and workers too. On June 18, the Nepali mission in Bahraini capital Manama first published a notice asking undocumented Nepali workers to register for getting the COVID-19 shots. However, the response has not been encouraging even after repeated calls by the embassy. Only 50 have forward and enrolled for the free COVID-19 vaccines.21

Qatar has said those who have received doses of the COVID-19 vaccine need not stay in quarantine while entering the country, according to the Nepali Embassy there. Likewise, the mandatory quarantine provision has also been removed for those passengers entering the country within 12 months of recovering from the infection.22

The government has completed the legal formalities required to conduct clinical trials of vaccine against COVID-19 in Nepal. The government has started preparations to manage vaccines even if it is by allowing third phase clinical trials. In a recently

19 Annapurna Post 20 The Kathmandu Post 21 The Kathmandu Post 22 Onlinekhabar

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issued process by the Cabinet on clinical trials, it has tabled the condition that companies or organizations conducting the trials here should ensure that Nepal gets the vaccines after the trials.23

The healthcare workers, deployed in the frontline during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, have not got the risk allowance even as of now in different districts. The healthcare professionals working in the hospitals and quarantine facilities set up by local levels in Nepalgunj, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Lamjung, Gorkha, and Siraha among others are saddened by the government's negligence as they are yet to get their risk allowance.24

The healthcare workers deployed in the COVID-19 pandemic are being honored across the world but Nepal’s healthcare professionals feel neglected by the government. They have not even received the risk allowance announced by the government. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on May 3 had announced to provide 50 per cent of their salaries as risk allowance. It has already been two months since the announcement, but they have not received anything.25

No one from the three security agencies of Nepal have got the risk allowance the government had announced for them. The government has not even given the allowance to security personnel deployed in the frontline amidst the pandemic last year.26

OTHER(S)

National News

The second dose of COVID-19 vaccine Vero Cell is being administered in the Lalitpur Metropolitan City on July 11 and 12 to

23 Kantipur 24 Nayapatrika 25 Nayapatrika 26 Nayapatrika

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locals between 60 and 64 years of age from all 29 LMC ward offices.27 The second dose of COVID-19 vaccine has been scheduled for all working journalists of Sunsari district in the second week of this month.28 Out of 37,000 people who have taken the first dose of Covishield vaccine, hardly 3,000-4,000 have got the second dose, as per Dr Rajendra Giri, Chief District Officer of Rupandehi.29 The government has started to send the vaccine procured from China to the cold storages of all seven provinces. Out of 4,000,000 doses of Vero Cell vaccine procured from China, Nepal brought 800,000 doses on July 9.30

More than 350 persons with disabilities were infected with COVID-19, while 13 succumbed to the contagion since the beginning of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, according to the National Federation of the Disabled. Had they got the vaccine on time, such a situation would not have occurred, as per Laxmi Kafle, Federation’s Vice President of Bagmati Province. There are about 513,321 people living with disabilities in Nepal but only a very few of them have got the vaccine.31

A test done by the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) has found that antibodies have developed in people who have taken the COVID-19 vaccines and this has helped them fight the coronavirus. It had tested nearly 70 of its vaccinated staff. The study on till when these antibodies will remain in the body is yet to be done, as per Dr Runa Jha, Director of NPHL.32

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has resumed the service of providing No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Nepalis going abroad for higher education from July 5. The service had been stopped due to the risk of COVID-19 infection for the past three months.33

The government has provided a discount on the visa fees and penalty for tourists who are unable to return to their home

27 The Himalayan Times 28 Rastriya Samachar Samiti (The Himalayan Times) 29 Setopati 30 Kantipur 31 Kantipur 32 Kantipur 33 Nagarik

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countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic till July 15.34

Nepalis, who had returned to Nepal from India two months ago due to the prohibitory orders there, have started going back to India. Thousands of Nepalis are heading to India via Gauriphanta and Banbasa border checkpoints every day stating that there are no employment opportunities in Nepal.35

The members of the Chepang community living in Raksirang Rural Municipality and Ichhakamana Rural Municipality of Chitwan recently walked for hours to get the relief packages provided by the Sumo Maya Garchhu organization. These people tend to face food shortages every year, but the prohibitory orders worsened their condition as they were not able to work even as daily wage laborers.36

The Prithvi Hotel Entrepreneurs Association and City Restaurant Bar and Association of Pokhara have demanded the Gandaki Provincial government to give those in the tourism business the COVID-19 vaccine. Submitting a letter with their demands to Chief Minister Krishna Chandra Nepali, they also pointed out that the vaccine is the only way to revive the tourism sector affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.37

Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara have warned that they will start staging protests if the government does not prioritize them for COVID-19 vaccine and bring relief programs for the tourism sector.38

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward-15 has completed a public awareness program about the ways to protect and save lives in the COVID-19 pandemic as part of its community-police partnership program.39

Psychological, social, and physical problems due to prolonged sitting and using laptops and mobile phones for online classes

34 Kantipur 35 Nagarik 36 Annapurna Post 37 Nagarik 38 Nagarik 39 Nagarik

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have increased in children. The students are studying in virtual classrooms and are unable to interact with their teachers and friends — it has impacted their overall growth. Online classes have increased anxiety in children, as per clinical psychologist Narmada Devkota. Her study on the experience of online classes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic — done amongst 260 children aged 6 to 18 years, and yet to be published — has shown that stress-related problems have been seen in 16 per cent of the children.40

Many of us are trying every possible way to boost our immune system to be safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have opted for vitamin and mineral supplements or homemade turmeric water without any medical consultation as they believe the supplements will protect them from COVID-19 infection. However, health professionals caution that consultation is a must as intake of excessive amounts of such supplements without a doctor’s consultation may lead to hypervitaminosis, a condition of abnormally high storage level of vitamins in the body.41

Yoga has been proven to be beneficial in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. As per yoga teacher Arjun Rakhal Magar, who has been teaching yoga to COVID-19 infected doctors, the COVID-19 test report of doctors doing yoga is coming out negative in six days.42

The Association of International NGOs in Nepal on July 9 appealed to the international community, underscoring the urgency of supplying COVID-19 vaccines to Nepal. “Nepal’s cases have reached 650,000 and the number of deaths has crossed 9,000. This data is a stark reminder that Nepal urgently needs COVID-19 vaccines to save lives of its citizens, bring the pandemic under control and ease the burden on the public health system is the third wave hits the country,” said an appeal signed by AIN Chairperson Sushil Koirala.43

40 Nayapatrika 41 The Himalayan Times 42 Baarhakhari 43 The Himalayan Times

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The governments of Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces have bought cars worth millions instead of working to arrange for COVID-19 vaccines to keep their citizens safe in the pandemic.44

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed back the completion of the under-construction international airport in Pokhara by at least a year, as work had to be stopped and the workers sent home due to virus fears, officials said.45

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the newly constructed surgical building of the COVID-19 Unified Central Hospital, Bir Hospital on July 11. The construction of the building was completed in four years and it is treating COVID-19 patients at present. The hospital aims to operate 500 beds and one ICU room.46

Unilever Nepal has provided healthcare materials needed to fight against COVID-19 among others to the District Administration Office Hetaunda, Ministry of Health and Population, Birendra Hospital, Chhauni, and Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries.47

Aatmiya Community Hospital, located in Sunkoshi Rural Municipality-6, Khalte of Sindhuli has been providing free treatment to COVID-19 infected people since the beginning of the second wave.48

A special flight of Nepal Airlines fetched a consignment of medical support from Israel on July 8 that included ventilators, oxygen concentrators, masks, PPEs and coverall provided by the government of Israel as a well as the Nepali community living in Israel to support the fight against COVID-19 in Nepal.49

44 Nagarik 45 The Kathmandu Post 46 Baarhakhari 47 Nagarik 48 Annapurna Post 49 The Himalayan Times

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International News

Indonesia is running out of oxygen as it endures a devastating wave of coronavirus cases and the government is seeking emergency supplies from other countries, including Singapore and China. Hospitals are swamped, with growing numbers of the ill dying in isolation at home or while waiting to receive emergency care.50 Several countries around Asia and the Pacific that are experiencing their first major surges of the coronavirus rushed to implement tough restrictions on July 9. Thailand reported a recorded a number of new deaths on July 8 with 75, and they came in at 72 on July 9. South Korea set a record for number of new cases on July 8, only to break it on July 9 with 1,316 infections. For the first time, Indonesia is seeing a surge that has hospitals turning patients away and oxygen supplies running out.51

Europe’s drug regulator has found a possible link between very rare heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer- BioNTech and Moderna, it said on July 9, stressing that the benefits of the shots outweighed any risks. The conditions, myocarditis and pericarditis, must be listed as side-effects of the two mRNA vaccines, the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency said adding that such cases primarily occurred within 14 days of inoculation. It said cases occurred more often after the second dose and in younger adult men.52

The coronavirus and a lockdown aimed at stopping the COVID-19 pandemic last year saw millions of Indians thrown out of jobs in cities and towns and forced back to their villages, and ever higher levels of debt. Interviews with 75 households in a cluster of eight villages in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh showed household incomes have slumped nearly 75 per cent on average. Almost two thirds of the households have taken on debt. Big debt and low income in the countryside will hold back any economic recovery the government is trying to generate and also dent private savings and investment for longer than expected, economists say.53

50 The Associated Press (in The Himalayan Times) 51 The Associated Press (in The Kathmandu Post) 52 Reuters (in The Himalayan Times) 53 Reuters (in The Kathmandu Post)

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on July 9 approved of a Melbourne pub that found itself in hot water for offering complimentary alcohol to COVID-19 vaccinated patrons, saying the ‘good hearted’ initiative was in the national interest.54

54 Reuters (in The Himalayan Times)

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Contacts for further details

Dr Sunoor Verma Strategic, Risk and Crisis Communication Consultant World Health Organization, Country Office for Nepal [email protected] [email protected]

Ms Tsering Dolkar Gurung NPO (Communication, Media and Public Information) World Health Organization, Country Office for Nepal [email protected]

WHO’s COVID-19 response in Nepal is made possible through the generous support of the Government of Azerbaijan, the Government of Canada, UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), Government of Germany and USAID.

Reference Code: 21JUL12MM_50B

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