Coping Covid-19 pandemic

On/Off the Record

Coping Covid-19 pandemic

By P.R. Pradhan

Now, it has been confirmed that Covid-19 pandemic is staying with us for some more months or even some more years. How long will it stay with us, we are unable to predict as until now, the scientists are unable to develop vaccine to eradicate the pandemic. Even if the vaccine is developed, it may take some months for easy available to all the people in the globe.

It has been confirmed that the fatality rate from the pandemic is very low and those infected people with high immunity power can overcome the pandemic.

It has also been confirmed that if we change our behaviour, maintain social distancing, wash hand frequently, use face mask, there is less chance of transmission of the pandemic from one person to another.

We should not undermine spread of the pandemic, yet, we have no option to resume daily business by maintaining precaution measures. Nepal like poor country cannot prolong lockdown anymore. Until now, just around two dozen people have died due to the pandemic in the country but death due to the lockdown is very alarming. Around 12 hundred people have committed suicide, many have died due to hunger and patients suffering different disease died due to the obstacles in reaching them to the hospital and delayed or unavailability of treatment caused by halt in public transportation, shortage of medicines and hospitals not admitting the patients with the fear of transmission of the pandemic. Even ambulances were not available to transport patients to the hospitals.

Economic disaster created by the pandemic is very serious, besides, all the sectors have been very badly affected.

The government is seen totally failed to overcome the pandemic. First of all, when the pandemic was witnessed in Wuhan, China in December 2019, our political leaders totally undermined the pandemic. They were found saying, “Nepal as a Corona-free nation”, “Nepali people’s immunity power is very high, therefore, the pandemic will not harm us”.

In March first positive case was witnessed in the country. During the three months, Nepal could do necessary homework to combat the pandemic. We did nothing. When the second case was witnessed in Kathmandu, without necessary preparation, sudden lockdown was announced and it was prolonged for two and a half months, which has become meaningless. Lockdown has been eased at a time when the infection has taken momentum.

The government announced lockdown but could not check and control movement of the people from one district to another and specially people arriving from India. In Nepal, mostly people arrived from India — say above 95 percent of them – have carried the coronavirus pandemic to Nepal. Nepal sealed her international borders by compelling people to stay across the border for weeks. They had no food and no shelter across the border. The pandemic was transmitted to many people as they stayed together while waiting permission to enter Nepal. In the Nepal side also, the government was unable to manage quarantine and isolation centers as per the WHO standard. Thus, the quarantine centers became the venue to transmit pandemic to other healthy people staying there.

What we have been saying from the beginning is that the government should stop RDT test and conduct PCR test as much as possible. The government, instead of compelling people arriving from India to stay in quarantine for two or three weeks, if had conducted PCR test on them and keep on hold them until the PCR result, we could avoid such a hue and cry situation. The government didn’t listen to us and also health experts’ suggestions, in result, the situation became vulnerable.

As we don’t have medicine, making people aware about the pandemic, maintaining precautions and in case of infection, staying at home isolation if the case is not serious — these are the measures to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. In the meantime, identification of the pandemic is important, thus, the government has to conduct PCR test at least on one member in a family having the family members with recent travel history along with widening contact tracing incase of identification of the Covid-19 positive case on any person. If the government will follow these guidelines, the nation can overcome the pandemic even after running all daily activities. In doing so, the government has to utilize all Tribhuvan University laboratories, the laboratory belonging to NAST, community and private hospitals, bringing new and advanced PCR testing equipment facilitating major cities with conducting Covid-19 test.

Moreover, scarcity of manpower could be managed by utilizing lab technicians and students doing lab technician’s course as much as possible by providing necessary training to the students, the government can conduct PCR test at large scale.

Unfortunately, the government has not wished to respond such suggestions, rather, has decided to reduce the PCR test.

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