Rs. 122.77bn allocated for health sector

The government has put health sector in high priority and has allocated big sums in its annual budget. The government has raised the budget for the health sector to Rs. 122.77 billion for the fiscal year 2021/22, at a time the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has gripped the country. It was Rs. 90.69 billion last year. Presenting the budget for the fiscal year 2021-22, Minister for Finance Bishnu Poudel said that high priority would be given to prevention and control of coronavirus pandemic and...

1,406 ICU beds available nationwide: Ministry

Nepal has been witnessing a massive resurgence of COVID-19 cases since mid-April. On Thursday, the country witnessed a record high of 9,070 cases with 54 fatalities. It was the fifth consecutive day the country reported more than 7,000 new cases in a day. On Wednesday, it recorded 8,605 cases and 58 deaths; on Tuesday, 7,587 cases and 55 deaths; on Monday 7,388 cases and 37 deaths and on Sunday 7,137 cases and 27 deaths.

5,763 new virus cases recorded with 19 deaths

Nepal’s COVID- 19 daily caseload has been continuously increasing with the onset of the second wave of the virus. On Saturday, the country recorded 5,763 new cases and 19 deaths. The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) on Saturday added 19 more COVID-19 related fatalities in its update, of which 7 were recorded in Banke in the last 24 hours. With this, the nation’s COVID-19 death toll has climbed to 3,298 and the death rate is 1.02 per cent.

Protecting children from virus should be top priority: Experts

As the COVID-19 cases continue to mount, public health experts are voicing serious concerns about the issue. This is because, unlike the first wave, the pandemic has had damaging consequences for children. They are urging everyone to keep children out of high risk of infection.

Hand-washing keeps COVID-19, other infectious diseases at bay

Last year, when the world focused on hand washing in an effort to prevent coronavirus transmission, it was found that many other infectious diseases didn’t wreak much havoc. However, as the pandemic loosened its grip, people increasingly returned to their old habit of not caring to wash their hands. The result? Health experts have warned of a rise in the cases of such diseases this year.

Pandemic hampers diagnosis of TB

With the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been challenging to ensure continuity of health care services for those coping with various infections, one of them being tuberculosis (TB). After the COVID-19 breakout, as many as 41,000 tuberculosis patients were unable to obtain a diagnosis, as estimated by the National Tuberculosis Centre (NTC). “It is challenging for us to find those unidentified and untreated TB patients,” said Dr. Anuj Bhattachan, Director at the NTC.

Private companies can now import COVID-19 vaccines

Following the government’s decision to allow private companies to import COVID-19 vaccines, the Department of Drug Administration (DDA) on Sunday issued a notice asking interested manufacturers and their authorised importers to apply for the same within seven days.

Senior citizens heave a sigh of relief after being vaccinated

Nepal started its second phase of the nationwide vaccination drive against the coronavirus targeting senior citizens aged 65 or older. Upon finally being able to receive the much-awaited jabs, more than a year after living under the fear of the pandemic, the senior citizens now feel a sigh of relief.

Second dose of vaccine to be given after 8 weeks

The government has decided to provide the second dose of Covishield vaccine only after eight to 12 weeks of the first phase of vaccination – at least four weeks behind the schedule. The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) changed the schedule following the decision of the Vaccine Advisory Committee.

Getting vaccinated best virus prevention, say doctors

The vaccination campaign against COVID-19 is in progress across the nation. With the arrival of one million doses of Covidhield vaccine from India, the nation started the vaccination campaign from January 27.