Who can receive COVID-19 booster dose being administered from Sunday?

COVID-19 booster dose to children from today

KATHMANDU, June 10: The government is administering COVID-19 booster dose to children from Friday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), children aged between 12 to 17 years will be inoculated with the dose from today. All children who received their second COVID-19 vaccine three months ago are eligible for the booster dose, according to an official at the Health Ministry. Children can visit health institutions or vaccine centers nearby to receive the vaccine.

Ratopati English बैशाख २०७९

Here is what you need to know about COVID-19 booster doses

Do you need extra shots of the vaccine for COVID-19 if you are fully vaccinated? Most people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus are relatively protected from severe illness and death from COVID-19. However, even highly effective vaccine’s immunity often fades over time. Early studies on vaccines that use mRNA to protect against coronavirus, such as those conducted by Pfizer and Moderna, have shown that they work regardless of the virus variant (such as alpha, beta, or delta). A new vaccine, called a booster, a few months after the first dose can help make the vaccine more effective, research suggests. In case of Pfizer-BioNTech Who has to get a booster? Everyone (12 years and older) When to get a booster? At least five months after finishing your number one COVID-19 vaccination series Which booster? Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) are favored in most situations.Teens 12–17 years antique may also simplest get a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster. In case of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen* Who needs to get a booster? Adults 18 years and older When to get a booster? At least 2 months after receiving your J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccination Which booster must you get? Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) are desired in most* situations What else does research say about COVID-19 boosters? Boosters are only a kind of vaccine, and scientists already recognise that vaccines are presently the excellent protection in opposition to COVID-19, mainly its maximum critical effects. That’s why it’s critical to get vaccinated proper away in case you qualify, as maximum human beings five and older do.Research additionally has discovered that, in general, antibodies from vaccines decline over time.Higher antibody degrees from vaccines appear to make the common individual much less probably to get unwell from the coronavirus (vaccine efficacy).Booster pictures of mRNA coronavirus vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) boom antibodies with the aid of using approximately 10 times.Boosters can offer you similarly safety in opposition to the Omicron variation. Early information indicates that this version is extra transmissible than different variants. (Source : https://www.cdc.gov) Nepal started giving COVID-19 vaccine booster recently as coronavirus infections surged because of the unfold of the Omicron variant. The booster dose has been limited to frontline employees by the Health Ministry which will gradually be provided elderly in coming months. Nepal, a herbal buffer among China and India, has double-vaccinated 39.9% of its 30 million population in a marketing campaign that started early last year. The authorities have banned big public gatherings and urged one and all to strictly follow COVID-19 safety protocols. Authorities have additionally made it obligatory for the general public to provide evidence of complete vaccination to apply for public offerings.

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Omicron: What we need to know

Smriti Chapagain COVID-19 has been terrorizing the world since its emergence. With repeated waves of the virus disguised in its new form each time, the threat to human life continues to be a global issue. Most recently, the COVID-19 virus has camouflaged itself as Omicron. So, what is Omicron and what do we need to know about it? Omicron is one of the newly discovered mutated variants of COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified Omicron as a “Variant of Concern” on 26th November 2021 and still, a lot about it is yet to be uncovered. The Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) reported the first two cases of the Omicron variant in Nepal on 6th December 2021. It has been rocketing in the past few days, with a high transmission rate as compared to other known forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So, what are its symptoms? The symptoms of the Omicron variant differ much from the traditional COVID-19 symptoms. The commonly identified symptoms are runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing, sore throat, persistent cough, hoarse voice, chills, fever, and dizziness. Loss of taste and smell is seen less commonly with Omicron. Also, it is less likely to affect the lungs as compared to the upper respiratory tract. The majority of vaccinated and boosted individuals contracting the Omicron have been experiencing milder symptoms. Current Healthcare Burden in Nepal Omicron symptoms coincide with flu making it hard to differentiate. Almost every household has recently been reporting flu-like symptoms which can be the red flag for widespread Omicron virus. Taking symptoms recklessly by calling it seasonal flu and not getting tested may be fuelling the recent surge of COVID-19 cases. The toll of healthcare workers being tested positive with CoronaVirus is also escalating, thus increasing the burden on health facilities from the shortage of human resources and posing a risk for the collapse of the health system. Prevention WHO has stated that methods of prevention are the same as for other variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These include: maintaining a physical distance of at least 1 meter from other people, wearing a properly fitted mask, maintaining proper hand hygiene by washing hands with soap and water or sanitization with at least 60% alcohol, improving ventilation across the room, coughing/ sneezing in a bent elbow or tissue, avoiding over-crowded areas or poorly ventilated indoor areas and most importantly, getting vaccinated. Vaccines COVID-19 vaccines serve as the best measure of protection and are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths due to Omicron infection. A recent research study has found that, as compared to fully-vaccinated individuals, there’s an increased transmission for unvaccinated and decreased transmission for booster-vaccinated individuals. Thus, the threat for COVID-19 infection remains lower for vaccinated people. However, there always remains a possibility of infection, even after full vaccination as no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing it. And, a fully vaccinated person with a breakthrough infection might still be contagious. CDC has recommended getting a booster dose after completion of primary COVID-19 vaccination to everyone aged 16 years and above. A booster shot can be taken after 5 months of completing the Pfizer primary series, 6 months after completing the Moderna primary series and 2 months after the initial J&J vaccine. Take home message Omicron is likely to spread 2 to 3 times, doubling every 2 to 4 days and is 3.2 times more likely to cause household infection compared to the Delta variant (The New York Times, 2022). Also, Omicron is believed to be proficient in dodging antibodies produced by previous vaccinations and infections. Various researches have found that previously infected individuals and/or vaccinated comprised a large portion of Omicron cases. This necessitates the call for strict precautionary measures by both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, which if not taken timely may lead to the collapse of the health system.

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France reports record 271,686 new COVID-19 cases

France reported Tuesday 271,686 new cases of COVID-19 detected, the highest daily record since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. According to data released by the French Public Health Agency, a total of 20,186 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized and 3,665 of them are in intensive care. Speaking on Tuesday afternoon to the French National Assembly, Health Minister Olivier Veran stressed the importance of vaccination, citing that vaccination helps people not to develop severe symptoms. Discussions on the vaccine pass bill were suspended in parliament after midnight on Monday after a majority of MPs in the lower house voted to suspend the late-night session. The vaccine pass bill would make it mandatory for people to show proof of vaccination to go to restaurants or cinemas or other public spaces and remove the option of showing a recent negative test. Prime Minister Jean Castex called the National Assembly "irresponsible" to suspend the debates of the draft bill. "We are in a race against time, the virus is jumping and you are pulling on the handbrake," he said. France has shortened the period of self-isolation. With a full vaccination scheme, the self-isolation of seven days can be shortened to five days if a negative PCR test result or negative antigen test result is presented after the five days. Those in close contact with a COVID-19 infected person, with a full vaccination scheme, won't have to undergo quarantine or self-isolation, but the preventive measures must be respected as well as doing regular tests. For the unvaccinated, the self-isolation period of ten days can be shortened to seven days if a negative result of COVID-19 or negative antigen test result is presented after seven days. Veran previously announced that, in order to keep the health pass validated, the delay between the second dose and the booster dose is going to be four months maximum, starting from Feb. 15. Those having a valid health pass after receiving two doses of Chinese vaccines and one dose of mRNA vaccine will also need a booster shot.

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“Govt preparing to inoculate COVID-19 booster dose to frontline workers”

At the time when the country is bracing for the possible third wave of COVID-19 as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe, Ratopati talked to the Minister for Health and Population, Birodh Khathiwada regarding the preparations being made by the government to combat the situation: As Nepal has already detected the cases of Omicron Variant of COVID-19 and the variant is spreading rapidly in our neighbouring and other countries, what sort of preparations are being made by the government to combat the possible outbreak? It is a fact that Nepal is currently in a more comfortable position than previous days regarding the COVID-19 management. The best possible ways to combat the pandemic is maintaining social distance, wearing masks and washing hands time and often. We have banned air travel to and from nine countries where the Omicron variant is rapidly spreading. Besides, those travelling from these countries via transit are mandatorily being tested for COVID-19 and kept in quarantine facilities for seven days even if they test negative for the virus. We have stopped providing visas on arrivals to foreign nationals for now. Similarly, health desks are under operation at all 16 transit points of Nepal and India. Of them, quarantine facilities have been set up at eight transit points. Likewise, six isolation wards (1000-bed capacity) of the Nepal Army are ready to provide services in case of COVID-19 outbreak. The number of COVID-19 Laboratories, ICUs and Hospitals have been expanded all across the country. Besides, compared to earlier days, we increased our ventilators, ICUs and Oxygen capacities by 60 percent. Also, Both the people testing positive for the Omicron variant have already recovered and tested negative. Public health experts have claimed that it is inappropriate to begin administering booster doses at a time when Nepal is yet to inoculate COVID-19 vaccine to all the eligible population. What do you say? I have no idea on what basis those experts made their claim. So far 53.7 percent of the total population of the country have received their first dose while 44.5 percent have been fully vaccinated. It might take another one year to vaccinate all the eligible population. Providing booster doses doesn’t mean halting or delaying the COVID-19 vaccination drive. Both the vaccine and booster doses will be administered simultaneously. When will the government begin administering the booster doses? In our early days of COVID-19 vaccination drive, we had begun by inoculating the vaccine to frontline workers. In this view, the booster will also be administered firstly to the as many as 900,000 frontline workers including health workers, journalists, security personnel and sanitation workers. Afterwards, the booster doses will be administered gradually to the general public. And, in case of initiation, the government and stakeholders are currently under discussion and a decision will be made soon. The government has set a target to fully vaccinate the eligible population by mid-April next year. Will the government meet its target on time? It sure will. The government had earlier set a target to provide COVID-19 vaccine to eligible groups i.e people aged above 18 years and progress is being made accordingly. When will children aged between 12 to 18 years get their COVID-19 vaccine? The government will now begin administering COVID-19 vaccine to children aged between 12 to 18 years in their schools. The government has already sent money to buy 10 million doses of vaccine for this group. We are expecting the consignment by late December this year or early January next year. Once the vaccine arrives in Nepal, we will begin inoculating 5 million children. Similarly, the government will also make arrangements for vaccines for children aged below 12 years soon after the World Health Organization approves the vaccine. The erstwhile KP Sharma Oli-led government had inaugurated the establishment of 5 to 19-bed hospitals in all the local levels. What are its progress? The erstwhile government inaugurated the establishment of hospitals in the local level from Baluwatar without allocating budget and making required preparations. We have no map, no DPR and even no lands for the construction. Even Though, after I assumed the office here, we are gradually making preparations. Firstly, land for construction will have to be acquired, then DPR maps are to be finalized, budget is to be mobilized, and then only tenders for the constructions can be announced.

Ratopati English कार्तिक २०७८

U.S. vaccination plods on as COVID-19 claims over 700,000 lives

NEW YORK, Oct. 3: The United States has set the pace to expand the spectrum of COVID-19 vaccines, while its vaccination campaign drags on as it hit a grim milestone of 700,000 deaths in the pandemic that has entered its 19th month. Topping the world, the United States on Friday surpassed 700,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University's data. Meanwhile, the average number of people getting vaccinated, at 270,531 per day, is the lowest it has been since Aug. 15, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC updated on Saturday that 214,597,690 people have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, making up 64.6 percent of the whole U.S. population; fully vaccinated people stood at 184,852,416, accounting for 55.7 percent of the total. A total of 4,363,791 people, or 2.4 percent of the fully vaccinated group, received booster shots. Trying to add some bright color to the ongoing tragedy, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters at a White House briefing on Friday that weekly COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the United States were down by 15 percent from the previous week. According to The New York Times' update, the seven-day average of confirmed cases of the pandemic stood at 109,192 nationwide on Friday, with its 14-day change striking a 27-percent fall. The COVID-19-related deaths were 1,883 on Friday, with the 14-day change realizing a 5-percent decrease. WIDE-RANGING VACCINE REQUIREMENTS "As many companies impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates, employees who refuse to get jabbed are getting the ax," reported CBS on Friday, adding that employers in the health care and aviation industries this week dismissed hundreds of workers who declined to get inoculated. A case in point is Christiana Care, which is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, and has 1,200 beds across three hospitals. On Monday, it announced that some 150 of its employees had failed to meet a Sept. 21 deadline to be fully vaccinated. As a result, they were fired. Health care organizations account for most of the firings of unvaccinated workers, but other kinds of employers are also expected to follow suit when workers start reporting to offices again in earnest. Currently, a dilemma is being weighed for some companies considering vaccine mandates: an acute worker shortage among retailers, restaurants, hotels and other service-sector employers, according to the report. On Friday, the Broadway League announced that all its 41 theaters in New York City will continue to require COVID-19 vaccinations for audience members, performers, backstage crew and venue staff at least through the end of the year. Audiences also will be required to wear masks inside the theaters at least for the remainder of 2021, except while actively eating or drinking in designated locations. The announcement extended the COVID-19 protocol policy that has been in place since Broadway resumed performances in July. At that time, the League said it would review the procedures in the fall. Theater owners will again review the policies by Dec. 1 for performances starting Jan. 3, 2022. "We know that with these policies in place through the end of the year, we will continue to help our audiences feel safe and to deliver them the thrill of Broadway night after night," Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, said in a statement. PILLS, MORE VACCINES Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said on Friday that they created an antiviral pill that can reduce the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death by about 50 percent, but health experts cautioned that it wasn't a replacement for vaccinations, which remain the most effective path to ending the coronavirus pandemic if enough people get their shots. "This can be used in conjunction with the vaccine. And it's not an alternative to vaccination. We still have to try to get more people vaccinated," Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was quoted by CNN as saying. Gottlieb acknowledged that the antiviral medicine could be effective for those who choose not to get vaccinated as well as those who catch the virus while fully vaccinated. Merck said that it will seek FDA emergency use authorization for its molnupiravir medication "as soon as possible." If permitted, it would become the first oral medicine that fights viral infection for COVID-19. "If approved, I think the right way to think about this is this is a potential additional tool in our toolbox to protect people from the worst outcomes of COVID," White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said on Friday. Also on Friday, the FDA announced that its independent vaccine advisory committee will hold three meetings in October to discuss COVID-19 booster shots, mix-and-match boosters and vaccines for children aged 5 to 11. The first two meetings, on Oct. 14 and 15, will cover booster doses of the Moderna vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, both of which are authorized for use in adults. During the second meeting, the committee also will discuss data from the National Institutes of Health and the safety and efficacy of getting initial doses of one COVID-19 vaccine and, later, a booster dose of another manufacturer's shot. Less than two weeks later, on Oct. 26, the FDA panel will discuss Pfizer's request to FDA to authorize its COVID-19 shot for 5 to 11-year-old children. No vaccines are currently available for kids under 12, and only Pfizer's shot is available for teens 12 to 17. "The meetings set up a rough timeline for a slate of FDA decisions that could help the country avoid a damaging winter surge, and ultimately help bring the pandemic to an end," reported U.S. news portal Politico.

Ratopati English भाद्र २०७८

Vero Cell's booster dose for elderly to be administered from today

KATHMANDU, July 6: Government is administrating the second dose of Vero Cell vaccine to senior citizens from 60- 64 years from today. The Ministry of Health and Population is facilitating for the vaccination drive against COVID-19 for the elderly of this age group through altogether 3,900 vaccination centres across the country. There are 32 vaccination centres in Kathmandu district. Among them, 47 have been designated in the Kathmandu Valley alone. The beneficiaries need to mandatorily bring first dose vaccination card along with them. They can get the jab between 10 am to 4 pm. Around 500,000 senior citizens are expected to get vaccinated this time. The second dose of China-made vaccine will be given till July 8, the Ministry said. Those elderly who could not get the first dose of Vero Cell will be provided vaccine this time, according to Dr Jhalak Sharma Gautam, Head of the Department of Child Health and Vaccination in the Ministry. A total of 759,954 beneficiaries (of different age groups) have received the second dose of Vero Cell as of now while the number of beneficiaries receiving the first dose stands at 2,622,807, according to the Ministry.

Ratopati English जेष्ठ २०७८

Manufacturing of Nasal vaccine against coronavirus possible in Nepal: Dr Singh

KATHMANDU, May 21: The entire South Asia is currently battling with raging second COVID-19 wave. India, the largest country in the region and the second most populous country in the world, is counting the daily infections six digits. Here in Nepal, the total infections have so far reached around 120,000 since the outbreak of second wave. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, the country recorded 488,654 positive cases of coronavirus and 366,946 have been recovered till Thursday. The number of people succumbing to the virus is 5,847. Health experts believe that the second wave’s virus variant is highly contagious than the one in the first wave. The government has implemented a prohibitory order for more than three weeks to break the chain of the virus transmission. So far, three types of COVID-19 variants are detected in the country and the latest (third) variant B.1.617.2 is said to be highly aggressive. Amidst this, the government had brought one million doses of the Covishield vaccine and 800 doses of Vero Cell from India and China respectively. The vaccines were provided by the neighbours on grants. Though the government has further signed an agreement with India to procure two millions doses of Covishield manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, it could get only one million doses and the arrival of remaining quantity is unlikely for the time being when India itself is suffering the devastating effect of the pandemic. The government has appealed to international support and cooperation for help in its fight against the virus. It has called on chiefs and representatives of diplomatic missions here to facilitate for getting the vaccines. On Thursday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli urged the UK ambassador for help obtain the vaccine. To date, only 2.13 million people have received the first shot of anti COVID-19 vaccines while 426,510 are totally vaccinated or got the booster dose. The Serum Institute of India has said it is not able to supply vaccines to Nepal before the mid-January of next year. This is the Institute’s response to Bangladesh as well. The government is preparing to bring vaccines from China and people have been asked to fill up the online form so that it could reach to the aspiring population easily after the arrival of the vaccines. Infections and death rate are high in the country. Hospital beds are not easily available during emergency while hospitals are grappling with the short supply of oxygen gas and amidst this crisis, there lies a possibility for an alternative to curb the infection, claims Dr Samartha Singh. He told RSS that nasal vaccine to control corona virus could be produced in the country if the government granted permit for the same. Singh added, “Different vaccine manufacturers in the world have taken the study and research regarding nasal vaccine far ahead. Vaccine of some companies is in the process of trial. Nasal vaccine can be produced in the country within next six months if the government grants permit.” Dr Singh opined that the countries like Nepal having low economic status could not purchase vaccine paying high price as fresh wave of corona virus is spreading and its new variants could still be seen for next few years. So it was necessary to manufacture nasal vaccine in low cost. The vaccine has the elements to destroy the virus at the occurring point as corona virus is transmitted from nose and mouth. Drug Controller of India has given permission to Bharat Biotech to produce nasal vaccine. Similarly, Hong Kong University and Wantai Bio Pharmacy of Beijing have been working in the sector of nasal spray. These universities have been carrying out second-phase trial. Likewise, Finland’s University of Helsinki and University of Finland have been doing pre-clinical trial. University of Virginia has also started pre-clinical trial. Israel and New Zealand have already granted permission to Sanotize, nasal spray, for domestic use. Dr Samarth Singh said that nasal vaccine could be manufactured in the country and its patent right could be obtained. Antigen of corona virus could be purchased and vaccine could be used through nasal spray, he shared. It has been found from research that this type of vaccine would work up to three to four weeks. Also the Head of the Department of Neurology at Vayodha Hospital, Kathmandu, Dr Singh has already submitted his proposal at the National Health Research Council and the Ministry of Health and Population in this regard. He said that they were hopeful the government would accept this proposal. “This is a big expectation and wish of Nepal like countries,” he added. According to him, the corona virus cannot enter the human body due to IGA Neutralized and this would be effective to children and elderly people as well. Dr Singh shared that such vaccine production was practical to Nepal as it needs fixed temperature available in Nepal. He added that they could start vaccine production process if permission was granted to them for the purpose. According to Indian media, the vaccine produced by Biotech Company of India is in a first phase trial and it is being used as trial for the people aged from 18 to 60 there. It is being trialed in various hospitals in India. These hospitals are AIMS Patna, Apollo Hospital Chennai, St. Theresa Hospital Hyderabad. The trial report would be received by November 30. According to experts, Nasal COVID Vaccines don’t require any kind of syringes. Dr Singh believes that such vaccines would be effective and affordable to the developing and under- developed countries. Researchers Dr Munir of Lancaster University, Dr Samartha Singh and Dr Bill Peltry of Virginia University claim that such vaccines would be cheaper to other kinds of vaccines and effective to poorer countries. Dr Bill shared that though it was tough job of doing research of it, it was nearer to success. Hong Kong University is also doing research in this area and it was being trialed on 7,000 patients. The Serum Institute of India is also carrying out trial of this kind of vaccine in India. The Coronavirus enters the body especially through the nose, mouth and eyes. According to doctors, this virus remains in the mouth and throat for few days. The nasal vaccine kills the virus' colony in the nasal passage and in the mouth. So, the virus can't enter the lungs. The Oxford University of UK is also involved in its research. The Government of China started the trial of this vaccine last November alone and has already mobilised 100 volunteers for this. Most of the vaccines currently in use have employed the dead cells of the Coronavirus itself. This vaccine cannot be administered to people of every age group. Moreover, it has to be stored in a certain temperature. But the nasal vaccine is free of these and similar demerits. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) has granted permission for trial and eight various companies and universities around the world are conducting research on this. It is believed the results of these researches will be available soon. In Dr Samartha Singh's opinion works can be immediately started in Nepal for development of the nasal vaccine by bringing this technology under trial in Europe provided that the country's regulatory agency gave the permission.

Ratopati English बैशाख २०७८

Who can receive COVID-19 booster dose being administered from Sunday?

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