Nepal Urges Vulnerables To Get Vaccine Amid India's Covid Surge

In light of the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in India and the identification of a new JN.1 variant, the country's Ministry of Health and Population has urged vulnerable populations to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations. These vulnerable groups include pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals, those over 55 years of age, and individuals with chronic illnesses.

Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, who leads the Immunisation Section of the Family Welfare Division at the Department of Health Services, mentioned that vaccinations are currently being provided at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Kathmandu Valley. He also added that people belonging to these vulnerable groups who haven't received a vaccine within the previous six months could now get vaccinated.

Recently, the health ministry introduced 750,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine supplied through COVAX, a United Nations-backed international vaccine distribution initiative. Officials confirmed that these vaccines were delivered in November's final week.

Moreover, Dr. Gautam explained that others awaiting their fourth booster shot could also receive this latest vaccine. He said provincial health agencies have been asked to request vaccine doses from the central government as per demand.

Health Ministry authorities are collaborating with Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI) officials and have alerted them about a possible increase in demand for Covid-19 vaccines if case numbers begin rising again.

As the number of cases rises in India, infectious disease specialists in Nepal anticipate that it's only a matter of time before the new virus strain crosses their borders. Dr. Rajiv Shrestha from Dhulikhel Hospital pointed out that it doesn't take as long as six to eight weeks for new variants from India to reach Nepal anymore due to open borders and frequent cross-border movement.

India has recently reported two fatalities linked to Covid-19 complications along with 2,669 active 24-hour case reports. The Union Health Ministry of India has observed an escalation in Covid cases across Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Karnataka. The country has documented 21 instances of the Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 thus far.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated JN.1 as a distinct "variant of interest," acknowledging its rapid global dissemination. Despite this classification, the WHO currently considers JN.1's additional public health risk to be low based on available data.

Although Nepal has not yet experienced a new Covid-19 case increase, officials plan to strengthen surveillance measures such as testing and gene sequencing shortly.

Several countries, including China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore, have seen a recent rise in Covid-19 cases. The JN.1 strain was first detected in September 2021 in the United States and is derived from BA.2.86–a highly mutated version of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.