WI THOUT F EAR O R F A V O U R Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 88 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 37.5 C 6.2 C Monday, May 17, 2021 | 03-02-2078 Bhairahawa Jumla Authorities continue to fumble around amid Covid-19 surge With pandemic showing signs of sliding into a devastating crisis, authorities mull a new law to streamline response, as they ignore the basics like tracing, testing and isolating. TIKA R PRADHAN is overwhelmed by Covid-19 through KATHMANDU, MAY 16 an opinion piece in The Guardian. Unprepared still, the Oli adminis- It took Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli tration is now groping in the dark. 11 months and close to 5,000 deaths to Instead of trying to step up some fun- realise that Nepalis don’t have a damental measures—contact tracing, strong immunity against Covid-19 and testing and treating—and ensure that he was under an impression that enough beds and oxygen supply, it now the virus would not hit the country as thinks it’s the lack of laws that is hin- hard as it has. dering its Covid-19 fight. On Saturday evening, speaking at a “We have decided to bring an ‘inte- meeting with different sections of grated’ law for effective coordination society, Oli said that he “thought” among various agencies and tackling Nepalis’ immunity against diseases some problems in purchasing medical was strong, hence he did not expect supplies immediately,” Minister for the virus crisis to deepen to this Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali, also extent. On June 10 last year, when Oli the government spokesperson, told was mocking a lawmaker in reporters after Sunday’s meeting of Parliament for questioning his state- Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre. ment claiming Nepalis have strong Gyawali is also a member of the immunity, the country had reported 15 Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre, deaths and the number of active cases known as CCMC, which is chaired by stood at 3,675. On Saturday, when he Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar appeared to be retracting his immuni- Pokhrel. POST PHOTO: KABIN ADHIKARI ty claim, the total deaths had Prime Minister Oli was also present A crowd of vegetable shoppers at Machhapokhari in Balaju, Kathmandu, on Sunday morning. The district administration office has enforced reached 4,856, with the number at the meeting. prohibitory orders in Kathmandu until May 27 to check the spread of coronavirus infections. But with market allowed to open only in the of active cases at 109,740. CCMC, the task force set up by the mornings, crowds caused by the limited shopping window threaten to fuel infections. What, however, does not seem government to deal with Covid-19 on to have changed is the response— March 29 last year, however, is a mech- like last year, there are hardly anism which does not have a single any sincere efforts from the Oli expert or doctor as its member. Over administration to deal with the the past year or so, it has served as a virus situation. club of government ministers and INSIDE Fewer tests mean reported Last week, on May 8, Oli told officials, with no “empowered” role to CNN that the virus “situation is take a decision on anything. All its under control”, only to plead decisions are subject to the prime Hospitals say installing cases in rural Nepal could before the world, just two days minister’s nod. oxygen plants within deadline later, for help, saying his country >> Continued on page 2 not possible KATHMANDU: Citing an acute shortage just be tip of the iceberg of oxygen, the Jorpati-based Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital published a notice on May 11 telling Immediate measures like training health workers to treat its Covid-19 patients to get dis- charged. The notice said the patients mild Covid-19 cases and getting the infected to isolate at must leave the hospital as it would run out of oxygen by 4pm that day. institutions are needed to lessen severity, doctors say. After Sopan Pharmaceuticals Limited, a private firm that supplied oxygen to the hospital, notified the hospital that its oxygen machine had broken down and it would no longer be able to supply the gas, the hospital was unable to secure oxygen from other suppliers and asked its patients to get discharged. After this incident, the hospital is working to install its own oxygen plant. (Details on Pg 3) Vegetables rot in the fields as lockdown paralyses market HETAUDA/KATHMANDU: Farmer Sundar Raj Balami is seeing a replay of last year’s Covid-19 disaster when his veg- etables rotted in the fields as he couldn’t get them to market. This year, the lockdown that began on PHOTO COURTESY: BHARATPUR HOSPITAL April 29 in the Kathmandu Valley has An oxygen plant at Bharatpur Hospital. Hospitals are turning away patients not only because prevented him from harvesting his they lack enough beds but also they have insufficient oxygen supply. ready-to-pick cauliflowers, and he is an anguished man as he watches his ARJUN POUDEL “While people do not seem to be taking vegetable crop wither in the fields. KATHMANDU, MAY 16 the potential risks seriously, authori- Before the stay-at-home order was ties concerned do not seem to be using issued, business was brisk. He was Of the 92 swab samples collected ran- the available resources.” selling his cauliflowers for Rs50 per domly in Devitar of Dhulikhel But in some places like remote vil- kg, and he had expected this year’s Municipality, Kavrepalanchok district lages of Kalikot district there are no increased earnings to offset the losses on Saturday, 56 tested positive. That is resources readily available. of the past year. But that was not to a positivity rate of over 60 percent. Dinesh Shahi of Daha of be. Even if he manages to sell a small Health workers in Dhulikhel Khandacharka Municipality was bed- quantity of his harvest, he won’t get Municipality said that almost all the ridden for 11 days with high fever more than Rs10 per kg because buy- households of Devitar have people before he was taken to Daha Health ers are not coming, and he has no with Covid-19-like symptoms but, Post for treatment last week. market access, he said. “At that price, alarmingly, only those with severe Shahi’s antigen test for Covid-19 I won’t even break even,” said Balami symptoms like breathing difficulties came back positive. Polymerase chain of Thaha Municipality-9. (Details on Pg 5) are seeking tests. reaction tests cannot be conducted in “This is a clear indication that the district. Covid-19 is spreading rapidly in villag- Shahi was advised to self-isolate at India pledges to distribute es of late,” Sandip KC, health coordi- home but as his condition worsened, more vaccines as states nator at Dhulikhel Municipality, told his family had to take him to the dis- extend lockdowns the Post. “The situation is getting seri- trict hospital in Manma, the district ous in our municipality, as six people headquarters, two days’ walk away. BENGALURU: Some Indian states said died on Friday and on Saturday alone But like elsewhere in the country, on Sunday they would extend Covid- from Covid-19-related complications.” the hospital is struggling to treat 19 lockdowns to help contain the pan- Children below the age of five have patients due to lack of oxygen. demic, which has killed more than also tested positive in the municipality. “The hospital needs at least eight 270,000 people in the country, as the Of the 48 swab samples collected in full oxygen cylinders every day. But federal government pledged to bolster Kanchanrup Municipality, Saptari dis- we have only two full cylinders left,” vaccine supplies. The number of trict on Thursday, 38 tested positive, a Katak Bahadur Mahat, acting health deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 positivity rate of nearly 80 percent. manager at the District Public Health hours in India has risen more than The majority of the cases in the munic- Office, told the Post on Friday. “The 4,000 for the fourth time in a week, ipality is seen in just ward 8, according hospital cannot admit more Covid-19 with Sunday’s 311,170 new infections to Raj Kumar Sah, the ward chair. patients because we don’t have the representing the lowest single-day Public health experts say that coro- necessary manpower, medical equip- rise in more than three weeks. navirus infections could reach a peak ment and medicines to treat them.” Federal officials warned against any in villages across the country this Such a situation has arisen because complacency over a “plateauing” in week but with weak health infrastruc- of the failures of the past, experts say. the rise of infections, however, and ture in the villages, both in terms of “This is a result of ignoring invest- urged states to add intensive care equipment and human resources, this ment in health infrastructure not only units and strengthen their medical could only mean a looming disaster. by the incumbent government but also workforces. Delhi and Haryana “The coming days, especially this by previous ones and all are responsi- extended lockdowns, slated to end on week, are very critical as the new ble for this,” Dr Baburam Marasini, Monday, by a week. Delhi’s Chief cases could reach a peak,” Dr Biraj former director at the Epidemiology Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Karmacharya, a public epidemiologist and Disease Control Division, told the rate of positive cases compared with who is also the chief of the Department Post.