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Focused COVID-19 Media Monitoring, Nepal
Focused COVID-19 Media Monitoring Nepal1
-Sharpening the COVID-19 Response through Communications Intelligence
Date: June 23, 2021
Kathmandu, Nepal
EMERGING THEME(S)
• Nepal to get 600,000 doses of one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine via COVAX; US to provide additional
16,000,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 18 Asian nations including Nepal under COVAX; World Health Organization
says there’s a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines for COVAX program
• Cabinet okays third phase trial for COVID-19 vaccine to be carried out in Nepal
• No evidence to support that children will be the worst hit in third wave of COVID-19 pandemic, say doctors
and child health experts
• Nepal reported 3,703 new COVID-19 cases, 41 deaths on June 22, first time in 2 weeks number of infections has
crossed 3,000; 12 out of 31 test positive for COVID-19 in Beldangi Bhutanese refugee camp; infection rate has
decreased in Karnali Province, but still high in 4 districts; Panchthar people not following public health protocols, refuse
to get tested for COVID-19; celebrations have not stopped in Baglung leading to infections and deaths
RECURRING THEME(S)
• Delta variant’s mutation K417 N, named AY1, detected in 9 out of 47 samples from Nepal; variant confirmed
in 10 countries
• China not to reveal the price of COVID-19 vaccine
1This 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.
WHE Communications Intelligence 2ISSUE(S) IN FOCUS The COVAX program has expressed its commitment to provide 600,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal, which is a one-shot vaccine. According to Dr Shyam Raj Upreti, Coordinator of the Vaccine Advisory Committee, Nepal has also decided to accept the vaccine.2 The USA will provide an additional 16,000,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to 18 Asian nations, including Nepal via the COVAX program. The US, which had announced to provide 80,000,000 doses of vaccine to low- and middle-income countries of the world by the end of June, had released the details of the distribution of 25,000,000 doses of vaccine before this. On June 22, it released the details of the distribution of 55,000,000 doses.3 The World Health Organization has said there has been a shortage of the COVID-19 vaccines for the COVAX program introduced to make the vaccines available to the poorer nations of the world.4 The government has continued to say that the vaccine will be arranged for Nepali citizens, but it has not been able to arrange the vaccine till now — even the time limit for getting the second dose of the vaccine for those who have taken the first dose has expired. The government has failed in vaccine procurement at a time when the risk of a third wave of the pandemic is evident.5 The Cabinet meeting of June 22 has agreed to allow the third phase trials for COVID-19 vaccines to be carried out in Nepal. The government should call the sponsor company to hold the trials only after securing millions of doses of the vaccines, said Dr Pradeep Gyawali, Member Secretary at Nepal Health Research Council.6 With a third wave of COVID-19 predicted, concerns now have grown if it could affect more children, as the number of those between 0-9 years, and 10-19 years contracting the virus had sharply risen when the second wave was at its peak. Doctors 2 Setopati 3 Onlinekhabar 4 Onlinekhabar 5 Ratopati 6 Onlinekhabar WHE Communications Intelligence 3
and child health experts however argue that when it comes to risk of infections, the entire population is at risk, and saying that children would be affected more by the third wave is a mere conjecture. 7 Nepal reported an increase in infections as 3,703 new COVID-19 cases were recorded on June 22, while the number of deaths was 41. It is after almost a gap of two weeks that over 3,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Nepal — 3,449 cases were registered on June 9.8 COVID-19 infection has been confirmed in 12 of 31 tested at the Bhutanese refugee camp of Beldangi, Damak. They had all undergone the Antigen Test.9 The rate of COVID-19 infection has declined in the Karnali Province, yet the risk is still high in four districts — Rukum West, Dailekh, Humla and Salyan.10 The people in rural areas of Panchthar do not follow the public health protocols, refuse to get tested and treated for COVID-19 as they regard the COVID-19 symptoms as common cold. As such many people are dying of the infection due to the delay in treatment.11 Weddings, thread wearing ceremonies and other rituals have not stopped in Baglung despite the prohibitory orders being imposed in the district. As such people are making crowds and it was reported that 35 people who attended a wedding ceremony had tested positive for COVID-19 in the district headquarters a few days ago. Before this, the infection had been confirmed in most of the people who had attended a wedding ceremony in Badigaad Rural Municipality-4 of the district — four members of the same family who had attended the wedding had died due to the infection. 12 The Delta variant’s mutation of coronavirus has been detected in Nepal. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, the 7 The Kathmandu Post 8 THT Online 9 Baarhakhari 10 Ratopati 11 Setopati 12 Setopati WHE Communications Intelligence 4
mutated form of the Delta variant was confirmed in nine samples out of 47 Delta variants confirmed during gene sequencing in
New Delhi, India. Nine new K417 N mutations were detected, which has been named AY1 and has been detected in 10
countries, including Nepal.13
The K417 N — the mutation of the Delta variant of coronavirus, also known as AY1 or Delta Plus has been seen in Nepal. This
mutant form of the Delta variant has been confirmed in more than 10 countries including India. Studies have begun to find out
whether this mutation is more dangerous than the delta variant or not.14
China has chosen not to disclose the price of the COVID-19 vaccine as Nepal is preparing to procure it from China. It has been
warned that the agreement will be in trouble if Nepal pressurizes it to reveal the cost or tries to make it a political issue. China
is angry with Nepali officials after former health minister Hridayesh Tripathi revealed that China was looking for a non-
disclosure agreement with Nepal for the vaccine procurement process. Many may think that China doesn’t make its
transactions transparent as it is a Communist country, but if the current transaction of more than 15 vaccine producing
companies and countries is observed, it has been found that all of them try not to disclose the vaccine cost and agreements.15
OTHER(S)
National News
13
Rastriya Samachar Samiti (in The Himalayan Times)
14
Kantipur
15
Onlinekhabar
WHE Communications Intelligence 5COVID-19 VACCINE / VACCINATION DRIVE A total of 401 vials of Covishield vaccine have disappeared from Makwanpur. The District Health Office Makwanpur has said the data of the vaccine in stock and the used vaccine do not match as the local levels have hidden the actual data of vaccines given to them. Likewise, some vaccines might have been damaged, it has said.16 The second dose of Covishield vaccine will be given to the residents of Lalitpur on June 23. A total of 2,500 people comprising 2,200 senior citizens above the age of 75, along with public representatives, staff and health volunteers will be inoculated. 17 The Lalitpur Metropolitan City is set to inoculate the citizens above the age of 77 with the second dose of Covishield vaccine from June 23.18 The Supreme Court has issued an interim order to provide the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to citizens above the age of 65 as soon as possible.19 Nepal Senior Professors’ Society has demanded the government to arrange COVID-19 vaccine for senior citizens along with senior professors.20 COVID-19 vaccines have been airlifted to Manang district. The vaccines were flown to different places of the district as road transportation was obstructed due to floods triggered by the monsoon rain. The vaccines are safely stored at the temporary health post in Naso Rural Municipality.21 A businessman from Adarshanagar, Parsa has gone to Raxaul of India to take the second dose of Covishield vaccine. He also took his elderly parents with him and got inoculated with the second shot after facing uncertainty about the vaccine’s arrival in Nepal. Many other residents of Birgunj, who have ration cards of India and Nepali citizenship, have also gone to India to get the vaccine — some have been reported to have taken the second dose, while some took the first dose.22 16 Ratopati 17 Onlinekhabar 18 Setopati 19 Onlinekhabar 20 Baarhakhari 21 Rastriya Samachar Samiti (in The Himalayan Times) 22 Kantipur WHE Communications Intelligence 6
HOSPITALS and HEALTHCARE FACILITIES There will be free treatment for COVID-19 only at government hospitals, health academies, and medical colleges from June 23. With this, the government has removed the private hospitals — that it had made an agreement with for the free treatment — from the list of COVID-19 hospitals.23 Surgery was performed on a patient suffering from black fungus 10 days after he recovered from COVID-19 at the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan. The Ear, Nose and Throat Department at BPKIHS successfully performed the surgery of the 61-year-old man suffering from black fungus for the first time outside of Kathmandu Valley.24 Healthcare professionals working at the hospitals of Banke and Rupandehi are more relaxed as compared to the past with the decline in the number of COVID-19 infections as well as the deaths due to the infection. They now have ample time to take care of the patients admitted at the hospitals while also managing to take their meals on time.25 HELP and AID The ‘Tato Bhat Campaign’ initiated by the Bibeksheel Sajha party is continuing in Gorkha. The patients infected with COVID-19, their caretakers as well as patients of other illnesses at Gorkha Hospital are being provided free meals as part of this campaign.26 The Nepal Healthcare Equipment Development Foundation and Badimalika Media House have provided 20 oxygen concentrators to Bajura Health Office.27 Over 1,600 families worst affected by the coronavirus crisis have received assistance from the non-government organization Shanti Sewa Griha of Kathmandu like daily essentials like rice, salt, cooking oil, pulses, soaps and vegetables. 28 23 Baarhakhari 24 The Himalayan Times 25 Kantipur 26 Setopati 27 The Himalayan Times 28 The Himalayan Times WHE Communications Intelligence 7
There has been politicization in the distribution of relief materials by the government in Nuwakot. Due to the tendency of relief materials to be distributed by leaders close to the government, there has been a shortage of healthcare materials in areas with high risk of COVID-19 infection.29 PROHIBITORY ORDERS The District COVID Management Committee, Rautahat has extended the prohibitory orders till June 28 relaxing restrictions considering the declining rate of COVID-19 cases in the district.30 Private vehicles have been allowed on the roads of Kathmandu Valley from June 22 after the imposition of prohibitory orders for 54 days. The vehicles are being checked at different check posts and this is causing traffic jams. 31 There is no certainty of when the public vehicles would be allowed to resume their services in Kathmandu Valley. According to the Federation of Nepalese Transport Entrepreneurs, 1,100,000 public vehicles are in the garage due to the prohibitory orders, and nearly Rs 1,000,000,000,000 of the transportation sector has been at risk.32 The smart lockdown of Kaski has created discrimination between people who own vehicles and those who do not. While people with private vehicles have been able to go out, those without are not able to step out as the public vehicles have not been allowed in the smart lockdown that came into effect from June 22.33 The prohibitory orders have been extended in Gulmi till June 29 with some relaxations put in place. Along with food stores and banks, tailoring centers, electronic shops, fancy stores among others will be allowed to open.34 The prohibitory orders have been extended till June 29 in Dang.35 29 Ratopati 30 The Himalayan Times 31 Onlinekhabar 32 Baarhakhari 33 Setopati 34 Onlinekhabar WHE Communications Intelligence 8
The District Administration Offices of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur have resumed all the services that they had shut down from June 22.36 The Kathmandu District Administration has made the recommendation of local levels mandatory for those who want to go outside Kathmandu Valley to take part in the death rituals.37 The nearly two-month long prohibitory orders are being relaxed in the country, but it is still not clear when the film halls will be allowed to reopen. This has worried the hall owners, filmmakers, actors and film technicians. Film halls have been closed from Birtamod in the east to Dang in the west. Around 15-20 film halls must have shut down across the nation due to the prohibitory orders, said Madhusudan Pradhan, President of Film Association.38 RESUMPTION OF FLIGHTS The Cabinet meeting of June 22 has decided to reopen domestic and international flights with certain conditions in place. The quotas have been set based on the flight destination and airlines. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation will set the dates and schedules.39 The Cabinet meeting has allowed resumption of domestic flights with 50 per cent occupancy by June 27. 40 The government’s decision to allow more flights to and from major labor destination countries is expected to provide a much- needed respite for thousands of Nepali migrant workers stuck at home and abroad. Following up on the recommendations of 35 Setopati 36 Onlinekhabar 37 Onlinekhabar 38 Setopati 39 Onlinekhabar 40 Baarhakhari WHE Communications Intelligence 9
the COVID-19 Crisis Management Center to gradually ease international travel restrictions , the government has decided to
resume flights with six countries — Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Japan and Turkey.41
The hotel entrepreneurs of Sauraha are facing problems due to the prohibitory orders imposed to control the COVID-19
pandemic. As attention to their health has taken precedence over their business amidst the pandemic, they are facing lots of
losses. However, they are sad that the government has not brought about any program to help them.42
Nearly 1,800 retailers have left their business during the prohibitory orders, according to Nepal Retailers Association. Most of
them include retailers selling food and groceries.43
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Civil Aviation has formed an investigation committee after the frequency of
passengers being cheated by the airlines and travel agencies has not stopped during the chartered flights operated during the
prohibitory orders this year.44
A person in Biratnagar, who was facing a drug-related case and had been handed over to his family after being infected with
COVID-19, has committed suicide.45
International News
India gave out a record 5 million vaccine doses on June 21 under a federal campaign to inoculate all adults for free after weeks
of criticism that a chaotic rollout had worsened a second wave that killed hundreds of thousands. 46
COVID-19 deaths in the US has dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the early days of the disaster in March 2020,
41
The Kathmandu Post
42
Annapurna Post
43
Onlinekhabar
44
Kantipur
45
Annapurna Post
46
Reuters (in The Himalayan Times)
WHE Communications Intelligence 10while the drive to put shots in arms approached another encouraging milestone on June 21 — 150 million Americans fully vaccinated.47 Thousands of Japanese companies began distributing COVID-19 vaccines to workers and their families on June 21 in an employer-led drive reaching more than 13 million people that aims to rev up the nation’s slow vaccine rollout. 48 With rich nations like the US rolling out vaccinations far more quickly, wealthier residents in developing countries are prepared to head abroad to get a shot more quickly. ATS Vacations, a travel agency in Indonesia, flags a ‘chance for a free vaccine’ next to a photograph of vials of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. More than 100 people so far have booked the tours, which are due to run from June to November and are contingent on people getting visas to travel.49 47 The Associated Press (in The Himalayan Times) 48 The Associated Press (in The Himalayan Times) 49 Reuters (in The Himalayan Times) WHE Communications Intelligence 11
Contacts for further details Dr Sunoor Verma Strategic, Risk and Crisis Communication Consultant World Health Organization, Country Office for Nepal sverma@who.int sunoorv@gmail.com Ms Tsering Dolkar Gurung NPO (Communication, Media and Public Information) World Health Organization, Country Office for Nepal gurungt@who.int 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: 21JUN23MM_37B WHE Communications Intelligence 12
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