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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 9, 2021
Kathmandu, Nepal
EMERGING THEME(S)
• Nepal reported 3,870 new COVID-19 cases, 108 deaths on June 7; Sudurpaschim Province records zero COVID-19
death, first time since second wave; no COVID-19 infection reported in Mustang’s Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural
Municipality till date; almost every household in Dalit Tole of Khadachakra Rural Municiplaity, Kalikot has members
suffering from fever, but refuse to go for COVID-19 test for fear of discrimination in their village; no COVID-19 test
conducted in Lothar village of Rapti
• Nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive for 60-64 age group underway; Bhaktapur’s Suryabinayak Municipality youth
stage protest demanding they be vaccinated too; most Gorkha local levels refuse to take possession of Vero Cell
vaccine stating number of doses too less than what is actually required to inoculate 60-64 age group in their levels
• Testing will serve no purpose if reports are given late
• Department of Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine stops distribution of Patanjali’s Coronil as it has not been registered
at Department of Drug Administration
• Government working on ways to gradually relax restriction modality from mid-June
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 2RECURRING THEME(S)
• Government is already making plans in preparation for the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic, according to Health
Ministry
• China’s insistence on non-disclosure agreement was roadblock in COVID-19 vaccine procurement deal, no reply from
Russia delayed procurement process: Ex-health minister Hridayesh Tripathi
ISSUE(S) IN FOCUS
Nepal confirmed 3,870 new COVID-19 cases and 108 deaths on June 7. The recovery rate climbed to 84.7 per cent as
opposed to 84.2 on June 6. 2
Sudurpaschim Province recorded no COVID-deaths in the past 24 hours. This is the first time that the number of deaths has
come to zero in the Province since the second wave of COVID-19 infection started spreading rapidly here, according to
Provincial Health Directorate, Dipayal. 3
Most of the 753 local levels of the country have been affected by COVID-19, except for Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural
Municipality of Mustang, which has no infections recorded as of now. 4
Almost every household has members suffering from fever in the Dalit Tole of Khadachakra Rural Municipality in Kalikot
district. From an elderly member to a child, people of all age groups are suffering from fever in most households, but they do
not want to get tested for COVID-19 for fear of being discriminated against in their villages. They have mostly been dependent
2
THT Online
3
Onlinekhabar
4
Annapurna Post
WHE Communications Intelligence 3on faith healers (dhami) to cure their illness. COVID-19 has been confirmed in most of them who have reached hospitals after becoming seriously ill. 5 No test for COVID-19 has been conducted at the local level in Lothar village, which occupies parts of Rapti Municipality 12 and 13 of Chitwan. It is the remotest part of the district. COVID-19 was confirmed in four people at the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic in Ward-12. No positive cases have been reported in Ward-13 as of now though there has been no test done to confirm the infection. The local government has not paid attention despite COVID-19-like symptoms seen in the community. 6 The COVID-19 infection has been confirmed in nearly 52 per cent of the total PCR tests done in Doti in the past one week. 7 Farmers in Banke and Kapilvastu have started getting back to work in their fields after recovering from COVID-19 infection. 8 Seven policemen were injured in a clash with locals while trying to enforce prohibitory orders in Rautahat on June 6 night. The clash broke out after police, upon being tipped off about a large wedding party with the participation of hundreds, reached the site at Gehadiguthi of Garuda Municipality and urged people to downsize the gathering. Miffed at the unwelcome interference, an angry exchange ensued, which later culminated in a clash. 9 The government started the vaccination drive across the nation from June 8 wherein people aged 60-64 are being inoculated with China-gifted Vero Cell vaccine. According to Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari, Joint Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, about 500,000 out of 800,000 population of the said age group are expected to take the jab. 10 The Kathmandu Metropolitan City started vaccinating people aged 60-64 years against COVID-19 from all wards from June 8. They are being inoculated with the Vero Cell vaccine which Nepal received under grant assistance from China. 11 The youth of Suryabinayak Municipality of Bhaktapur staged a protest demanding that they also be given the COVID-19 5 Kantipur 6 Kantipur 7 Onlinekhabar 8 Kantipur 9 The Himalayan Times 10 Setopati 11 Onlinekhabar WHE Communications Intelligence 4
vaccine. The protest was held at the immunization center of Katunje where people aged 60-64 were being given the first dose of Vero Cell vaccine. The youth aged 25 to 30 misbehaved with the healthcare workers there while demanding the vaccine for themselves as well. 12 Most of the local levels of Gorkha have refused to receive Vero Cell vaccine from the District Health Office stating that they were given very less number of vaccine doses than they had asked for. They have complained that the vaccine doses are not sufficient to inoculate even 50 per cent of the population eligible to get the vaccine. There are about 2,200 people aged 60-64 in the district, and only 678 doses have been allotted for the district. 13 The government is to provide the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as an alternative to the booster dose of Covishield vaccine after the Serum Institute of India expressed inability to supply additional quantities of Covishield vaccine to Nepal for the time being. 14 Madhyapur Thimi Municipality has asked grant assistance from the government to arrange for COVID-19 vaccines for its citizens. 15 Yug Nath Adhikari, a resident of Dadthok of Bidur Municipality, Nuwakot had given swab sample for PCR test on Thursday; he got the report only on Sunday. It was positive. Like Adhikari, there are patients of fever, sore throat, body aches and other COVID-19-like symptoms in almost every household in his village. And despite having given their swab samples, they have not been in home isolation and have been moving around the village. With such a situation in villages, doctors fear coronavirus infections spreading in the rural region. The purpose of tests is not served if it takes several days to get the report, according to epidemiologist Dr Biraj Karmacharya, who says that neither will the infection come under control nor can we lessen the loss. 16 12 Setopati 13 Onlinekhabar 14 Rastriya Samachar Samiti (in The Himalayan Times) 15 Annapurna Post 16 The Kathmandu Post WHE Communications Intelligence 5
The Department of Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine has put a ban on the distribution of 1,500 Coronil kits provided to the Nepal government by Patanjali Yogpeeth. The decision was made after it was discovered that the kit has not been registered at the Department of Drug Administration. 17 The government has started doing groundwork to gradually relax or change the modality of the ongoing prohibitory orders to ease people’s movement and bring back normalcy from mid-June. According to the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, they would relax the prohibitory orders phase-wise to make sure that the situation remains under control. 18 As the COVID-19 infection is declining across the nation, the government is preparing to ease public life from Asadh (mid- June), according to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Ministry has started homework to impose the prohibitory orders in such a way that it will ease public life, according to Spokesperson Janak Raj Dahal. 19 Police officials have said there is a possibility of partial prohibitory orders either from the beginning of Asadh (June 15) or from the first week of Asadh in Kathmandu Valley if the infection rate of COVID-19 continues to decline at the current rate. They have said there is also a possibility of allowing vehicles to ply following the odd-even rules. 20 Experts claim that people have been defying the prohibitory orders as the government has failed to fulfill its responsibilities. Dr Sushilnath Pyakurel, who has served as the Chief Specialist at the Ministry of Health and Population, said that the state has not fulfilled its six responsibilities. According to him the government has put forth a strategy of 6T — Testing, Travel Restriction, Tracing, Tracking, Treatment, and Together for control and containment of COVID-19. However, these have not been implemented, he said. 21 As a preparation against the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic, the government has already asked the hospitals of the country to arrange for and add children-friendly healthcare materials, according to Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, Spokesperson at the 17 Kantipur 18 The Himalayan Times 19 Baarhakhari 20 Baarhakhari 21 Annapurna Post WHE Communications Intelligence 6
Ministry of Health and Population. Likewise, a resource mapping is also being done to know about the available human resources for children, the management and mobilization of human resources, as per him. 22 The government has started preparations for the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic. As the experts have pointed out that children will be at high risk, it has already instructed the hospitals to set 20 per cent of their beds for children. According to Dr Madan Kumar Upadhyaya, Chief of Quality Assessment and Monitoring Division at the Ministry of Health and Population, the treatment process of children infected with COVID-19 is different, and the government wants to be prepared for it, he said. The government is also preparing pediatric ventilators for the same along with arranging for oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators, he added. 23 The government relied on oxygen-related materials donated by other countries, organizations and individuals, and those supplied from the private sector during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic while failing to procure even a single item on its own. 24 The process of procurement of COVID-19 vaccine from China had been interrupted due to the non-disclosure agreement proposed by China, according to former minister of health and population Hridayesh Tripathi. He also shared that the vaccine procurement with Russia was delayed due to no response from the Russian side despite the Nepal government being interested in buying the Russian vaccine. 25 Minister for Health and Population Sher Bahadur Tamang has said they have been making attempts to inoculate all citizens of Nepal with the COVID-19 vaccine. He also said the government is bringing the vaccine and citizens will be inoculated on priority basis. 26 The Nepal government has been dependent on just grant assistance for the COVID-19 vaccines. It has not been able to 22 Baarhakhari 23 Onlinekhabar 24 The Kathmandu Post 25 Onlinekhabar 26 Ratopati WHE Communications Intelligence 7
procure any vaccine on its own till date. 27
OTHER(S)
National News
The Supreme Court on June 7 stayed the government’s decision on barring people involved in e-commerce from delivering
services at customers’ doorsteps. 28
The Supreme Court on June 7 issued an order to the government not to stop the online delivery of essential items stating
that the delivery of services through e-commerce has been an important medium for providing essential service in
the COVID-19 pandemic. 29
Many people didn't expect there would be a second wave of COVID-19 in Nepal or that the infection would be more complex
than in the first wave, according to Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, Coordinator of the Clinical Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical and
Infectious Disease Hospital. As a result, most people were careless about following the public health protocols. As the
coronavirus spread rapidly in the second wave, many people were infected. The majority of the infected warranted hospital
stay, but were forced to stay in home isolation due to the limitation of beds in the hospitals. Many were unable to get treatment
in the hospitals despite being in critical condition, and the death rate is higher in the second wave than in the first, as per Dr
Pun. Likewise, fungal infection has come as another challenge in the second wave. 30
27
Baarhakhari
28
The Himalayan Times
29
The Kathmandu Post
30
Nagarik
WHE Communications Intelligence 8The National Farmers Commission has advised the government to provide relief to the farmers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has said the farmers have been bearing loss as they have been unable to take their products to the market due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting prohibitory orders. 31 The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) will put forth its plan of providing relief and subsidies to its residents amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in its upcoming meeting scheduled for June 16. The plan will have a focus on control and treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to KMC Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya. 32 The government has issued new health protocols for those who arrive in Nepal from foreign countries. They need to stay in a 10-day mandatory quarantine, and should undergo PCR test twice, on their own expenses, according to a decision made by the Cabinet. 33 A 24-year-old man has been arrested from Sano Bharyang of Kathmandu for producing fake hand sanitizers and cosmetic items. 34 HOSPITALS and HEALTHCARE FACILITIES The Ministry of Health and Population has asked the public to report health institutions charging more than the amount fixed by the government for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. 35 Many pregnant women have not been able to visit hospitals for their regular checkups due to the prohibitory orders imposed across the country. However, regular checkup is a must, as per Dr Sangeeta Mishra, Director at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital. 36 31 Nagarik 32 Onlinekhabar 33 Kantipur 34 Setopati 35 Ratopati 36 Onlinekhaar WHE Communications Intelligence 9
The locals of Dharan have given a week-long ultimatum to BP Koirala Institute of Health and Sciences seeking improvement in its management. Local political party representatives and civil society leaders said they would intensify their pressure if the institute failed to do the needful to end irregularities, ill and mismanagement at the hospital. 37 Healthcare workers at the primary health center of Manthali have not got their risk allowance. They have complained of not getting the allowance, given to the frontliners deployed in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, for the last one year. 38 The government has said despite there being a reduction in the cases of COVID-19, the risk is still there. So, the Ministry of Health and Population has instructed the hospitals to install oxygen plants, to fill up empty oxygen cylinders, and to operate the oxygen tankers in full capacity.39 The Ministry of Health and Population has written to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply asking it to take action against hospitals charging more than the amount specified by the government in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.40 The Ministry of Health and Population has asked for the oxygen cylinders to be sent back to the respective factories. Stating that empty oxygen cylinders have remained at houses, neighborhoods and isolation centers, it has asked the people concerned to return them. 41 HELP and AID After Nepal asked for help, different organizations and nations have been providing the country healthcare materials including essential equipment. As of now, Nepal has received 3,248,000 doses of vaccine against COVID-19, 537 ventilators, 6,245 37 The Himalayan Times 38 Annapurna Post 39 Ratopati 40 Onlinekhaar 41 Onlinekhaar WHE Communications Intelligence 10
oxygen cylinders, 1,710 oxygen concentrators, 1,245,025 Antigen kits, and 758,000 N95 masks, as support, according to the Ministry of Health and Population. 42 Keeping in view the lockdown restrictions to avoid possible spread of coronavirus, the government has offered a discount of 20 per cent on the marked price of the subsidized rice of Food Corporation in Bajura. Locals thronged the branch of Food Corporation Bajura after it started selling the rice at 20 per cent discount (Rs 36 per kilo). 43 The Janasewa Society of Bhaktapur has started training to prepare human resources needed to manage the bodies of COVID- dead. It has trained 16 youth for the same in the first phase of its program. 44 Machhapuchhre Bank Ltd has provided healthcare materials needed for the treatment of COVID-19 patients at the isolation center at Kalyanpur Municipality of Siraha. 45 The Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries has set up a well-equipped 30-bed ICU for the treatment of COVID-19 infected children in the Narayani Hospital.46 Germany has handed over healthcare materials including ventilators, masks, and tents among others to Nepal. 47 Different organizations including the Himalayan Development Foundation Australia have provided healthcare material to all local levels of Taplejung. They have provided oxygen concentrators along with other healthcare materials. 48 The Communist Party of Nepal -United Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) has handed over healthcare materials given by the Chinese Communist party to the government. According to the Spokesperson of the CPN-UML, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, they 42 Onlinekhabar 43 The Himalayan Times 44 Annapurna Post 45 Nayapatrika 46 Annapurna Post 47 Onlinekhabar 48 Setopati WHE Communications Intelligence 11
received hydrogen oxygen generators with nebulizers, and N-95 masks.49
The government has distributed healthcare materials provided by donor agencies and friendly nations to the hospitals of
COVID-19 affected districts of the country. According to Dr Bhim Singh Tinkari, Chief of Supply Division, they have sent
oxygen concentrators and cylinders, ventilators, and Antigen Test kits to the health institutions after evaluating their needs. 50
International News
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on June 7 that the Indian federal government would provide COVID-19 vaccines free
of charge to all adults from later this month in an effort to turn the tide of a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands in
India.51
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences has started clinical trials of Covaxin on children. India's homemade vaccine is being
tested on children aged two to 18 years.52
49
Baarhakhari
50
Onlinekhabar
51
The Kathmandu Post
52
Annapurna Post
WHE Communications Intelligence 12Contacts 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: 21JUN09MM_27B WHE Communications Intelligence 13
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