Focused COVID-19 Media Monitoring,

Focused COVID-19 Media Monitoring Nepal1

-Sharpening the COVID-19 Response through Communications Intelligence

Date: May 28, 2021 , Nepal

EMERGING THEME(S)

• Nepal reports 6,731 new COVID-19 cases, 106 deaths on May 27; infection spreading rapidly in rural areas of Udayapur, and hill districts of the east like Ilam, Khotang, Taplejung, Dhankuta; Gorkha’s Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality seeks provincial, federal help to control spread of the pandemic • No active contact tracing in Lumbini could spell disaster • Panic buying after news of new stringent restrictions causes crowds in Capital’s shops, marketplaces which health experts say could result in rise in infections in days to come; Salt Trading Corporation and Nepal Food Management and Trading Company to make home deliveries • Vaccine Advisory Committee advises government to ask for Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine produced in US, Oxford/AstraZeneca’s vaccine produced in other nations as alternative to Covishield under COVAX; Nepal preparing to bring Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine under COVAX • President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on vaccine-procurement mode, calls up Chinese and Indian presidents, plans to call up US and Russian presidents next; Congress leader Gagan Thapa requests US to give 12,000,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine it has in stock to Nepal; confusion over booster dose date sees a big turnout at Lalitpur Health Office • Government has dispatched 1.7 million Antigen Test kits nationwide; officials aim to carry out 25,000 tests daily; Parbat has just 350 Antigen Test kits, needs 50,000 units to do more tests as COVID-19 confirmed in 50 per cent of tests done • COVID-19 pandemic has pushed children as young as 8 to more dangerous and abusive jobs: Human Rights Watch

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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ISSUE(S) IN FOCUS

Nepal reported 6,731 new COVID-19 infections, 106 fatalities on May 27, while the number of recoveries at 7,226 was more than fresh cases. The total active case count stands at 116,476, and the death count stands at 6,951.2 The COVID-19 infection is spreading in the villages of eastern hilly districts — Ilam, Khotang, Taplejung, Dhankuta — but sufficient tests have not been done. Problems have been added as the number of people showing COVID-like symptoms has also increased all of a sudden in the past few days.3 Coronavirus cases have been increasing in the rural areas of Udayapur for the past two weeks. As many as 130 persons tested positive in the district on May 26.4 The Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality of Gorkha has sought help from the provincial and federal governments after the number of the locals showing COVID-like symptoms started increasing. It’s challenging for the rural municipality alone to work for its control and containment, as per Chairperson Bishnu Bhatta.5 Twenty-six more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Rautahat on May 26. As per date, of the 18 local levels, Chandrapur Municipality has the highest number of COVID-19 cases at 146, while Ishanath Municipality has the lowest with seven.6

Health authorities are not actively contact tracing in communities across several districts of Lumbini Province, according to local people. Symptomatic patients go to hospitals and health centers to get tested but those with no symptoms do not take the initiative to get tested. The lack of testing and contact tracing has led to the rapid spread of the virus in communities, say locals.7

2 THT Online 3 Kantipur 4 The Himalayan Times 5 Setopati 6 The Himalayan Times 7 The Kathmandu Post

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The second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has reached the rural areas from urban centers in Lumbini Province. There are people showing COVID-like symptoms in these villages but they are not tested for COVID-19 due to lack of test kits.8

Panicked by the news of extension of the prohibitory orders and stringent measures to be in place, Capitals denizens rushed to the market to buy essentials, resulting in crowds in shops and markets. Dr Baburam Marasini, former director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, called the new orders idiotic as they have caused unnecessary crowding and shortages in the market. He fears infections could go up again because of the crowding in the market caused by the government’s idiotic decision.9

The crowds of people have increased in convenience stores due to the decision of the Chief District Officers of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts to not allow them to open for a week starting from May 28. The decision was made to reduce unnecessary crowds to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection, but the stores are crowded as people want to buy food items sufficient for a week.10

The administration of Kathmandu Valley has informed that the Salt Trading Corporation and Nepal Food Management and Trading Company will make home deliveries here amidst the prohibitory orders.11

Chief District Office of Kathmandu Kali Prasad Parajuli has said people can call their respective municipality or Nepal Police or 103 if they face any problem in getting food items. People do not need to die due to hunger during the prohibitory orders, he said.12

There will be a complete ban on home delivery of food and other essential items during the extended prohibitory orders scheduled to begin from May 28 in Valley.13

8 Kantipur 9 The Kathmandu Post 10 Nayapatrika 11 Onlinekhabar 12 Setopati 13 Kantipur

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The Nepal Chamber of Commerce has protested the decision to shut down convenience stores during the prohibitory orders. It has requested the administration to let them open following health protocols.14

The laborers of the informal sector are in trouble due to the government’s decision to shut down convenience stores in the extended prohibitory orders in Kathmandu Valley for a week. The laborers who had been working even till 10:00 am when such stores were open and supply continued, will have nothing to do to solve their hand-to-mouth problems now.15

The Vaccine Advisory Committee has recommended the government to ask for Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine produced in the US, and Oxford/AstraZeneca’s vaccine produced in other nations as an alternative to the Covishield vaccine to be provided under COVAX facility. Nepal gets 13,000,000 doses of vaccine under this facility.16

Nepal has started preparations to bring COVID-19 vaccine of US company Johnson & Johnson under the COVAX program. It is yet to be finalized when and how many doses of vaccine will be brought, as per Dr Jhalak Sharma Gautam, Chief of Vaccination Division.17

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has initiated vaccine diplomacy with India and China. While she had a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, she wrote a letter to Indian President Ram Nath Koivnd to provide COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal. Chinese President announced to provide 1,000,000 doses under grant assistance while promising to facilitate procurement of vaccines. She is also preparing to conduct a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding vaccine procurement.18

14 Baarhakhari 15 Kantipur 16 Kantipur 17 Setopati 18 Kantipur

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Leader of Gagan Thapa has co-written an article for a US media requesting the US President Joe Biden to provide COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal. In the article penned for STAT, he has asked the US to provide 12,000,000 doses of vaccine that it has kept as stock to Nepal. 19

Public health expert Dr Baburam Marasini says Nepal made a mistake when it asked for only 1,000,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from India in the first consignment even after paying for 2,000,000 doses in advance. It should have asked the Serum Institute of India to provide the vaccine procured all at once. As the delivery of the vaccine was delayed, the third party entered the process, obstructing the vaccine procurement process.20

Confusion on dates regarding the booster dose of Covishield vaccine saw a huge number of people turn up at the Health Office of Lalitpur on May 27. The office had issued notice of booster dose to be provided to those who had taken the first jab before March 7. However, those frontliners including doctors who had taken the shot after March 7 had also come there hoping to get the booster dose. However, they did not get the shot as it would not be sufficient for those who took the first shot before March 7.21

The Tilottama Municipality of Rupandehi has asked the government to provide COVID-19 vaccine under grant assistance to its residents. If that is not possible, it has asked the federal government to arrange a process for the Municipality to procure the vaccine on its own.22

The Nepal Livestock Health Service Technician Association has demanded the government to give them COVID-19 vaccine citing that they have been providing their services even during the prohibitory orders.23

Leader of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist Leninist) Madhav Kumar Nepal has demanded the government to immediately arrange for the needed COVID-19 vaccine and inoculate the public. He also demanded for relief package

19 Baarhakhari 20 Annapurna Post 21 Ratopati 22 Onlinekhabar 23 Setopati

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to help laborers.24

Amid a rapid spread of COVID-19 infection in the rural areas and limited testing, the Ministry of Health and Population has rolled out 1.7 million Antigen Test kits throughout the country. Officials said they plan to conduct around 25,000 Antigen Tests daily.25

There has been a shortage of Antigen Test kits in Parbat. According to the District Health Office, there is a demand for 50,000 kits but it has just 350 kits. After COVID-19 was confirmed in 50 per cent of tests done, the healthcare workers and local levels there have demanded the kits for early detection of the infection.26

From brick kilns to carpet factories, COVID-19 has pushed children as young as eight years old into dangerous and abusive jobs, rights groups said on May 26 urging governments to roll out cash allowances to reduce child labor. Human Rights Watch and advocacy organizations in Ghana, Nepal and Uganda interviewed 81 children working in often risky settings during the coronavirus pandemic.27

OTHER(S)

National News

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City is set to start an extensive COVID-19 test based on Antigen Test from May 28.28

The public of all seven provinces are expecting COVID-19 vaccine and treatment for COVID-19 patients from the government

24 Baarhakhari 25 The Kathmandu Post 26 Onlinekhabar 27 Reuters (in The Himalayan Times) 28 Baarhakhari

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rather than elections. They have said that they will cast their votes only if they get the vaccine and treatment first.29 Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli should not go to the public to ask for votes at a time people are losing lives due to COVID-19 pandemic, says Spokesperson of Nepali Congress Bishwa Prakash Sharma.30 The government is careful about protecting people’s right to live amidst the pandemic, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said. The government is working for it, he said.31

It is time for the new academic session to begin, and many local levels have announced to start it from Asadh (June/July). This year too, the teaching-learning will be done virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there has been no preparation done for this in the past one year. The education sector did not learn any lesson in the one year of pandemic — neither is there any preparation, nor new management to opt for alternative teaching-learning methods. The education experts suggest there is a need to focus on the development of infrastructure keeping in mind the students from financially weak communities and those studying in community schools.32

Students are in a dilemma while parents are nervous as there is uncertainty regarding the conduction of Secondary Education Examinations and Class XII exams due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 infection in the country.33

HOSPITALS and HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

The Ministry of Health and Population has said that people can now get information online about the availability of beds, ICUs and ventilators needed for COVID-19 patients in hospitals. The information is available on the website — https://covid19.mohp.gov.np/hospital/covid_hospital.html — as per the Ministry.34

The Ministry of Health and Population has instructed hospitals and health institutions not to shut down emergency services. It

29 Annapurna Post 30 Setopati 31 Ratopati 32 Nayapatrika 33 Onlinekhabar 34 Ratopati

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has cautioned that as the COVID-infected are kept on the priority for treatment, the check-up and treatment of pregnant women, family planning and other essential services might be affected. It has drawn the attention of the health institutions to continue with providing these services.35

The Ministry of Finance has ensured Rs 1,410,000,000 for 41 hospitals across the nation to manage pediatric ICUs and ventilators for the treatment of critically-ill COVID patients and children.36

The reduction in the COVID-19 infection across the nation has eased the supply of oxygen in the hospitals of Kathmandu Valley. The doctors of Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teaching Hospital, National Trauma Center, Mediciti Hospital, hospitals of Banke and Bheri have said the availability of oxygen has become comparatively easier as compared to the past.37

The premises of Koshi Hospital in Biratnagar was filled with an unmanaged crowd of people. Most of the people there for PCR test were neither maintaining social distance nor following any health protocols — rather everyone seemed in a rush to finish their work before others.38

The four ICU beds in the District Hospital Ramechhap have not come into use for a long time. These beds lack monitors and other equipment and the hospital has not been able to manage them. Instead it has been referring critically ill COVID-19 patients to hospitals in Kathmandu.39

The Nepal Medical Association has started to train doctors and healthcare workers to fight COVID-19. They are being trained on ways to stay safe from the infection while treating patients, management of patients in COVID hospitals among others.40

35 Baarhakhari 36 Baarhakhari 37 Onlinekhabar 38 Annapurna Post 39 Annapurna Post 40 Onlinekhabar

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A 10-bed isolation center has come into operation in a school of Ward No 6 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.41

A 10-bed isolation center set up at Bhagawatibari of Kathmandu has come into operation.42

A 300-bed isolation center set up at Nagarjuna-1 of Kathmandu has come into operation.43

DUTY and RESPONSIBILITIES

In each of the 40 households of the mountainous village of Ghunsa of Taplejung, there are people who have fallen ill. All of them have been showing symptoms of common cold, fever, chest pain, sore throat and diarrhea. It takes two days to reach the nearest health post from here, and three days to reach the district hospital. The village has only a community health unit and the health assistant Prabin Rai working there has been visiting the households to check upon the ill people.44

The Sirijangha Rural Municipality of Taplejung has started Antigen Test visiting the wards as COVID-19 infection has reached the community level.45

Karnali Province is set to deploy volunteers for the control and containment of COVID-19 pandemic. They will be mobilized in the rescue, treatment of COVID-infected and for the management of bodies of COVID-dead.46

The Mayors’ Forum of Kathmandu Valley had proposed to run integrated isolation centers in four places of the Valley on May 13. It’s been two weeks since the proposal, but only one isolation center has been made as of now.47

Chief Minister and Minister of Health and Population of Gandaki Province Prithvi Subba Gurung has announced to provide the report of COVID-19 test within 24 hours of swab collection. However, the public health laboratory of the Province has

41 Baarhakhari 42 Baarhakhari 43 Setopati 44 Annapurna Post 45 Nagarik 46 Annapurna Post 47 Baarhakhari

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said this is impossible due to the high number of swabs collected. The lab has even been sending swab samples to Kathmandu for testing.48

The Public Accounts Committee of Karnali Province has asked for the details of COVID-19-related machinery equipment procured by the provincial government.49

HELP and AID

World Vision International handed over health materials worth Rs 2.5 million to District COVID-19 Crisis Management Center, Udayapur on May 26.50

The Federation of Nepalese Journalists in Dhading has set up a five-bed isolation center.51

The Tikapur Municipality of Kailali is set to provide Rs 10,000 as funeral expenses to families of people who have died due to COVID-19.52

The Press Union has established a relief fund to help COVID-19 infected journalists. A sum total of Rs 100,000 will be deposited in the fund.53

The youth of Budhanilkantha-10 of Kathmandu have started a sanitization program — an initiative to sanitize chowks, alleys and streets of the area to control and contain the COVID-19 pandemic.54

The Dasharathchand Municipality of Baitadi has handed over an oxygen concentrator to the district hospital.55

48 Baarhakhari 49 Ratopati 50 The Himalayan Times 51 Nagarik 52 Setopati 53 Setopati 54 Baarhakhari

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Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali has sent healthcare materials to Gulmi that include oxygen cylinders, masks and concentrators among others.56

Officials from Nyalam of China have announced to provide support of healthcare materials worth Rs 21,800,000 to Sindhupalchowk. The help will include essential materials needed to fight the pandemic. Nyalam and Sindhupalchowk share borders.57

Reecarger, an e-commerce platform, has said it will provide oxygen concentrators and oximeters at a price cheaper than the market price.58

Banks have said they would not immediately remove the system of not accepting amounts less than Rs 50,000 to be deposited in banks. This is being done to avoid unnecessary crowds in banks. More than 3,000 members of staff of commercial banks have been infected with COVID-19 at present.59

With hotels and restaurants shut and people gone back to their villages, farmers can’t sell their milk because there are no buyers. Residents don’t want to come out of their houses to buy milk either because of the risk of catching the infection.60

The Rautahat District Administration Office has extended the prohibitory orders for the fourth time for another week with effect from May 27 midnight.61

Hotel entrepreneurs have demanded for an extensive tourism rehabilitation program in the upcoming budget for the preservation and promotion of the tourism sector that has been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.62

55 Ratopati 56 Onlinekhabar 57 Onlinekhabar 58 Ratopati 59 Nayapatrika 60 The Kathmandu Post 61 The Himalayan Times

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Nearly 42,000 Nepalis, who have lost their jobs due to coronavirus and other reasons, have returned to Nepal via chartered flights.63

People should motivate one another and pay special attention to children during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to psychologists. This will help in the reduction of fear brought on by the pandemic, they say.64

International News

US President Joe Biden on May 26 ordered US intelligence agencies to report to him in the next three months on whether the COVID-19 virus first emerged in China from an animal source or from a laboratory accident. According to Biden, agencies are currently split over the two possible sources for the virus.65 It is said that the COVID-19 virus was transmitted to humans from bats in the animal market of Wuhan. China informed the world about it in December 2019. However, a US intelligence report has claimed that the researchers from China’s Wuhan Institute sought hospital care a month before that — in November 2019. This has given more power to the demand that independent study is needed to prove that the virus was leaked from the laboratory of Wuhan.66

The pandemic’s disparities were already stark in India, now wealth and technology is further widening chasms and millions are falling through the gaps. That worries health experts, who say vaccine inequality could hamper India’s already difficult fight against a virus that has been killing more than 4,000 people a day in recent days.67

The European Union took on vaccine maker AstraZeneca in a Brussels court on May 26 and accused the drugmaker of delivering shots to other nations when it had promised them for delivery among the 27 member states.68

62 Onlinekhabar 63 Annapurna Post 64 Setopati 65 Agence France Presse (in The Himalayan Times) 66 Nagarik 67 The Associated Press (in The Kathmandu Post)

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Taiwan directly accused China for the first time on May 26 of blocking a deal with Germany’s BioNTech SE for COVID-19 vaccines in an escalating war of words after Beijing offered the shots to the island via a Chinese company.69

68 The Associated Press (in The Himalayan Times) 69 The Kathmandu Post

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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, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Government of Germany and USAID.

Reference Code: 21MAY28MM_19B

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