New Tihar trend: Sisters put Tika to each other

With the end of Tihar, the second biggest festival of Nepali Hindus, the festivities for this year are almost over. This year, the festivals, be it Eid, Teej, Dashain, or Tihar, were observed in a different manner due to the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic as the celebrations were largely limited within homes. However, the pandemic became an occasion to bend and mend our culture and traditions for the good. On Bhai Tika, the fifth and final day of Tihar, which is often marked by sisters offering...

Some people testing positive even after isolation period

huwan Pathak, 55, of Balaju started staying in home isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 on October 3. He was mildly symptomatic and was following all the prescribed safety measures. After staying in home isolation for 15 days, Pathak went for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test again on October 18 but to his surprise, he again tested positive for the virus. "Although the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has stated that asymptomatic patients can get back to their daily routine...

Effect of COVID-19 lingers even after testing negative: Patients

The cases of novel coronavirus infection have been on the surge in Nepal in recent times. Along with thousands of infections being reported daily, thousands of patients are recovering daily too. As per the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), Nepal's COVID-19 recovery rate as of Thursday is at 79.8 per cent. The recovery rate suggests that majority of the SARS-CoV-2 infected patients have been able to defeat the infection by staying in home isolation and a few are requiring medical support....

Maternal Health Takes A Knock

Though not much talked about, the COVID-19 pandemic has left a huge scar on the sexual health and reproductive rights of women and girls. The public health crisis followed by months-long nationwide lockdown barred the women and girls across the world from exercising their reproductive rights. The need of ensuring the right to reproductive health and providing undisrupted maternal health care facilities in the midst of a pandemic has not been a priority of the government and other stakeholders. This...

Nepalis mark a subdued, socially-distanced Dashain

Dashain, the biggest festival of Nepali Hindus, has been marked across the nation. Celebration of the 10-day long festival usually involves reuniting with the families and relatives, eating meat and other delicacies, worshipping Navadurga, receiving Tika and blessings from the elders and offering the same to the younger family members. But this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nepalis across the nation observed a socially-distanced Dashain, with festivities limited within their homes.

Is public health emergency need of the hour?

Along with massive surge in cases of COVID-19 in recent times, the fatalities and number of patients with serious health conditions requiring intensive care are also increasing. Currently, there are over 38,000 active cases, and new infections are growing incessantly with the festive season approaching. Although the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) had said that the nation would require prohibitory order or lockdown if the active cases crossed 25,000 mark, no such measures have been taken...

PSC’s Unfair Criteria

Following the government's approval for holding examinations by adopting all the public health safety standards, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has decided to carry out all the postponed examinations from November 3. The fresh decision must have brought a lot of cheers to those interested in the civil service. Owing to the possible threat of the spread of the coronavirus, the PSC on March 19 had indefinitely postponed all the scheduled civil service examinations, judicial service, security...

Can women with history of pregnancy donate plasma?

Anisha Shrestha (name changed), 32, was looking forward to donating plasma after she defeated the novel coronavirus infection. But after recovering from the infection, she came to know that she didn’t fall into the priority list of plasma donors as she is a mother to a two-year-old child. "One of my acquaintances had messaged me stating that plasma of A+ blood group was required for a COVID-19 patient who was in a critical health condition. As the blood group matched, I was willing to donate plasma...

Loss of smell, taste difficult to deal with: COVID-19 patients

While fever, dry cough and tiredness were considered to be the most common symptoms of the novel coronavirus infection, loss of sense of smell and taste, also called anosmia, was added to the symptom of COVID-19 from the mid-April. Many infected people have experienced the loss of smell and taste during the infection while some say that anosmia continues even after recovering from COVID-19. Maiya Pathak, 52, started experiencing the loss of smell and taste from the third day after testing positive...

Go For Plasma Therapy

As the vaccine against the novel coronavirus is yet to be developed, health systems across the world have been trying various alternative methods for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Coronavirus infections in Nepal, especially in the Kathmandu Valley, have been increasing rapidly in recent times, with hundreds of patients in critical health condition undergoing treatment in ICUs. In view of the rising number of virus cases, the Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT), one of the alternative treatments...