With Delta Variants Circulating, Experts Warn of New Second Virus Wave Peak
WI THOUT F EAR O R F A V O U R Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 140 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 36.0 C 14.2 C Thursday, July 08, 2021 | 24-03-2078 Dipayal Jomsom With Delta variants circulating, experts warn of new second virus wave peak All ICU beds and ventilators allocated for Covid-19 patients at TU Teaching Hospital and 22 of 24 ICU beds meant for such patients at Sukraraj Hospital, Teku are occupied. ARJUN POUDEL after two weeks, as the virus is active KATHMANDU, JULY 7 in communities and people’s mobility has increased.” Kathmandu, the capital city with a The Epidemiology and Disease high population density, is behaving Control Division has said that the as if there is no coronavirus. Delta and Delta Plus variants of After two months of a strict lock- SARS-CoV-2 have been circulating in down, almost everything has reo- the country. Both sub-lineages of the pened. Tuesday onwards, public vehi- virus are reported to be highly conta- cles too have started operating with gious. The World Health Organisation little restriction and marketplaces are in May declared Delta a variant of seeing growing crowds. concern. Public health experts, who have Existing vaccines are said to be long warned that a third wave could effective against the Delta variants, hit the country, say a second wave but only when people are fully vacci- peak of cases cannot be ruled out yet. nated. Two major concerns, according to Research suggests that Delta, offi- doctors, are that the Delta and Delta cially known as B.1.617.2, is the most Plus variants are circulating and contagious of all the known variants POST PHOTO: DIPENDRA ROKKA Nepal’s vaccination coverage is to date, possibly 40 to 60 percent more People wearing face masks are seen walking at Ason, an old shopping district in Kathmandu, on Wednesday.
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