Covid Nepal: Who enters the international airport and the main checkpoint will get the vaccine
TERHATHUM: OCT. 8 – During the ongoing covid vaccination campaign in Nepal, the citizens coming through the international airport and some checkpoints connected to India will be vaccinated as much as possible, officials said. The reasons for this are the growing crowds at the checkpoints in recent days and the lack of certainty at the local level.
The district health offices have said that the amount of vaccine has been allocated for the citizens coming through the border and the day for vaccination has also been fixed. While the nationwide covid vaccination campaign is underway, the number of Nepalis returning home has increased.
What is preparation?
According to the officials, some of the Nepalis who come during festivals like Dashain, Tihar and Chhath have been vaccinated while others have not been vaccinated.
At present, work is underway to bring in 4.4 million vaccines and another 3.2 million vaccines will arrive soon, officials said. As there is no shortage of vaccines, the government has a plan to vaccinate and send home the citizens entering Nepal. Accordingly, vaccination work has been started at Tribhuvan International Airport and some main ports. Sameer Kumar Adhikari said.
“In particular, covid vaccines have been sent to international air entry points and some landmarks as long as they are available, and they have been facilitated in such a way that they can be sent to ensure that the second dose is applied locally,” he said.
“It has been started from the international airport. Some ports have been started some time ago and some have been reconsidered for now as they are not practical and some are still in operation.” Officials say it is difficult to make such arrangements at all checkpoints.
Some of the vaccines sent to the district have been set aside for Nepalis coming from the border and can only be given for a certain number of days, according to the district health offices. Health Office Banke Chief Dhir Jung Shah said, “As per the government’s policy, a health desk has been set up at the border. A vaccination program is also being conducted by local health workers on April 22, 23 and 24. The amount of vaccine has been allocated for all those above 18 years of age.”
Officials said some people from India and third countries have already been vaccinated at the local level and some will not be vaccinated if they reach their villages and have difficulty getting a second dose. The Ministry of Health has urged the people going to the villages only to be vaccinated as there is no shortage of vaccines in the urban areas at present.
Officials believe that the risk of spreading coronavirus infection in rural areas would be reduced if those who came from abroad and those who went to the village from the city were vaccinated. But despite being vaccinated, health officials have been urging people not to neglect public health standards.
What do experts say?
Experts point out that even if the campaign to vaccinate its citizens at air entry points and land borders is positive, it should be organized and made available to all. “Crowds at the border should be well managed. Antigen testing and vaccination of visitors should be carried out simultaneously,” said a former head of the health department. Senendra Raj Upreti said.
“If the test is positive, quarantine should be arranged accordingly. Those who are negative should be vaccinated and told where and when the second dose will be given.”
He pointed out the need for tracing whether people who were given the first dose took the second dose or not.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population, as of Thursday, more than 6.4 million people in Nepal have been fully vaccinated. Similarly, more than 8 million 88 thousand people have been vaccinated for the first time, according to the ministry.
