20 Who Nepal Sitrep Covid 19 v5

HIGHLIGHTS
Nepal
• With the addition of three more laboratories, SITUATION OVERVIEW

i.e. two in Kathmandu district and one in
Kavre district of Bagmati Province, a total
NEPAL
of 47 designated COVID-19 laboratories are
(data as of 1 September 2020, 07:00:00 hours)
now functional in the country, of which 34 are
40,527 confirmed cases
government and 13 are private.
239 deaths
• All seven provinces and 77 districts in the 6,93,472 RT-PCR tests (data as of 31 August 2020)
country have reported one or more cases of
COVID-19 since the beginning of the COVID-
19 epidemic in Nepal. In the last 14 days, only SOUTH-EAST ASIA REGION
two districts, i.e. Mustang and Humla, did not (data as of 10am CEST 30 August 2020)
report any cases of COVID-19. 40,73,148 confirmed cases
75,276 deaths
Regional/Global
GLOBAL
• WHO has issued updated interim guidance on (data as of 10am CEST 30 August 2020)
hotels and other accommodation facilities to 2,48,54 ,140 confirmed cases
help the sector protect the safety of staff and 8,38,924 deaths
clients. See also the Q&A’s on Staying at
hotels and accommodation establishments
and COVID-19 and Working in hotels and COVID-19.
• WHO has also released the guidance for promoting public health measures on cargo ships
and fishing vessels. This complements the guidance for employers to implement containment
measures at workplaces and the related Q&A.
• The results of a WHO survey conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
up to 25 essential health services in countries show disruptions of essential health services in
nearly all countries, and more so in lower-income than higher-income countries. The great
majority of disruptions were partial, defined as a change of 5–50% in service provision or use.
• WHO has published an overview of the structure, methodology and assumptions used by the
COVID-19 Essential Supplies Forecasting Tool (ESFT) that has been designed to help
governments, partners and other stakeholders to estimate potential requirements for
essential supplies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. See also the ESFT Frequently Asked
Questions.
1
Situation Update #19- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
WHO Country Office for Nepal
Friday 4 September 2020
NEPAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION
• As of 2 September 2020, 07:00 hours, (Week no. 36), a total of 40,527 cases were confirmed
as COVID-19 through polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test in the country. In the last 14
days, 12,272 cases were reported, which is 30.3 % of total confirmed COVID-19 cases.
• Except in Gandaki province, where transmission is as sporadic cases, the other six provinces,
i.e. 1, 2, Bagmati, 5, Karnali and Sudurpaschim, have transmission in clusters of cases.
• Although overall doubling time has increased, indicating a slowing down of transmission,
Province-2, Bagmati and Province-5 have shown a significant increase of caseload recently.
65% (26,161/40,527) of the total cases were reported from these three provinces.
• Overall, the gender distribution remains skewed towards males, who constitute 78%
(31,598/40,527) of the confirmed cases. Amongst the males 89% (27,987/31,598) are in the
economically productive age group (15-54-years). However, this skewed sex and age
distribution is changing in some of the provinces, especially in Bagmati where we find an
increasing proportion of females getting infected.
• A total of 239 persons have died of COVID-19 and details are available for 238 (176 male and
62 female). All the deaths have occurred between weeks 20 and 36. At least one or more
known co-morbid conditions were present in 166 persons (70%). The overall case fatality
ratio (CFR) across all ages is less than 1 per cent, and CFR progressively increases beyond 55
years of age (range 3% to 21%).
• While less than 1% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases are symptomatic at diagnosis across all
age groups, the proportion of symptomatic cases progressively increases beyond 55 years of
age in the range of 2% to 7%.
• Nepal has been able to keep COVID-19 transmission largely to sporadic or clustered cases
during the initial phase through quarantine or isolation of returnees. Currently, there is an
increasing trend of infections among individuals without international travel history, at least
among the people for whom the travel history is available. In the current context of increasing
numbers of cases, and to take maximum advantage of the total and partial local lockdowns,
case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) and isolation capacity need to be further
increased. This will require the deployment of additional personnel, including filling vacant
positions, to support provincial and Palika level surveillance and CICT activities.
• As of 30 August 2020, a total of 639 cases of influenza-like illness (ILI)) have been tested for
COVID-19 and 15 cases have been tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. All the positive cases are
included in COVID-19 database.
• No samples were received for Influenza on week 35 (i.e. 24-30 August 2020)
2
Figure 1: WHO SEAR countries: Number of COVID-19 confirmed cases (data as of 30 August 2020 from
#Global Weekly Epidemiological Update 3) and cumulative incidence rate (per 100,000)
Figure 2 A: Laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases and average number of COVID-19 cases over the last
seven days, by date of onset/sample/confirmation (N = 40,527) (Data updated on 2 September 2020 T0
7:00:00)
3
Figure 2B: Lab confirmed COVID-19 cases and a 7-day rolling average of cases by date of
onset/sample/confirmation by Provinces (Data updated on 2 September 2020 T0 7:00:00)
4
Note for all the Provinces (Figure 2 B):
• The first case developed symptoms on 3 January 2020 in China and was confirmed on 23 Jan 2020
(not shown here). Reference dates used in order of preference as available – Date onset/Date of
sample collection/ Date of confirmation.
• Y-axis scale varies between Provinces.
5
Figure 2C: Cumulative case count of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 by province (N = 40,527) (Data
updated on 02 Sept 2020 T0 7:00:00)
Figure 3: Municipalities (By domicile) with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and districts
shaded by current transmission status (N = 40,527) (Data updated on 2 September 2020 T0 7:00:00)
6
Table 1: Summary of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, deaths and transmission by provinces.
(N = 40,527) (Data updated on 2 September 2020 T0 7:00:00)
Transmission classification based on WHO definitions
Total
Total
Reporting confirmed Transmission Districts Date of most recent
cumulative
Province cumulative classification* affected (total case#
deaths
cases districts)
Province 1 3,483 30 Cluster of cases 14 (14) 1 September 2020
Bagmati 8,398 61 Cluster of cases 13 (13) 1 September 2020
Gandaki 2,348 13 Sporadic cases 11 (11) 1 September 2020
Karnali 2,505 4 Cluster of cases 10 (10) 1 September 2020
Sudurpaschhim 6,030 9 Cluster of cases 9 (9) 1 September 2020
National Total 40,527 2371 Cluster of cases 77 (77) 1 September 2020
1-1 death detail address is under process
# Date of the last case is the date of onset or date of sample collection or date of lab report based on information available.
* Case classification is based on WHO transmission classification
No cases - provinces with no cases; Sporadic cases- provinces with one or more cases, imported or locally detected#
Cluster of cases - provinces experiencing cases, clustered in time, geographic location and/or by common exposures
Community transmission- experiencing larger outbreaks of local transmission defined through an assessment of factors
including, but not limited to: - Large numbers of cases not linkable to transmission chains
- Large numbers of cases from sentinel lab surveillance
- Multiple unrelated clusters in several areas of the country/territory/area
Figure 4: Distribution of COVID-19 cases by age and sex (N = 40,239) (Data updated on 02 Sept 2020 T0
7:00:00)
Details for 288 cases are yet to come
7
Table 2: Age Specific Case Fatality Ratio and Co-morbidity of Deaths* in COVID-19 confirmed cases
(N = 40,527) (Data updated on 02 Sept 2020 T0 7:00:00)
Table 3: Distribution symptomatic/asymptomatic COVID-19 cases at presentation (N = 40,527) (Data

updated on 02 Sept 2020 T0 7:00:00)
8
PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
What are the Government of Nepal (GoN) & the Ministry of Health & Population (MoHP) doing?
• A high-level meeting of the Honorable Minister of Health and Population and the Honorable
Ministers of the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) of all seven provinces, was convened
this week to discuss on prevention and containment activities of COVID-19 and effective
measures for its control.
• MOHP has decided to conduct the next coordination meeting:
o Between the Health Minister and the Ministers of MoSDs from all provinces every
Wednesday for strengthening health sector response to COVID-19 and monsoon.
o With media every Friday to share updates and disseminate the Ministry’s decisions.
• Additional decisions made by the MoHP are as follows:
o The cost to the patients of RT-PCR tests in private labs or for non-medically indicated cases
has decreased from NPR 5,500 to NPR 4,400 (all costs inclusive). For medically indicated
cases and cases identified by contact tracing, tested in government facilities, the test remains free
of charge.
o Quality, Standards and Regulation Division of MoHP to monitor the laboratory quality.
o Use of hotels as isolation centres has been permitted, with the Department of Health
Services (DoHS) to identify and coordinate with the hotels in the Kathmandu valley and
the Ministries of Social Development to identify and coordinate with hotels in respective
provinces. Hotels to be reimbursed at the rate of NPR 2,000 per case per day for isolation;
self-pay for hotel isolation is also allowed. DoHS is preparing the guidelines for hotel
isolation.
• MoSDs of the Provinces are to coordinate with all hospitals within their province except
medical colleges to manage COVID-19 cases.
• Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Center, Lalitpur and KDC General Hospital, Kathmandu included
as isolation centres.
• District Administration Offices (DAO) have extended Prohibitory Order in Kathmandu Valley
for another week from Wednesday 2nd September midnight to Wednesday 9th September
2020 midnight to control the spread of COVID-19. Link Here
What is the WHO Country Office for Nepal doing?
• WHO-Nepal has provided technical assistance to the National Public Health Laboratory
(NPHL) by supporting the following activities:
o Organizing a virtual meeting on ‘Contamination Identification and Troubleshooting in
a molecular laboratory’.
o Submission of the ‘Interim report on COVID-19 laboratory quality assessment in
Nepal’ to NPHL by WHO laboratory team.
o The samples/specimens of Influenza from the National Public Health Laboratory
(NPHL) were sent to National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) Influenza Virus
Research Center of Tokyo for Genome analysis on 28 August 2020.
9
• A total of 48 Family tents, of 24 Square meters from the WHO preparedness stock, were
delivered to Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) on 26 August 2020, to support the families
affected by landslide as this was requested by MOHA.
• WCO Nepal, presented a session on COVID-19 Waste management during home
isolation, via Webinar (Link Here) organized by GUTHI, NGO on 24 August 2020. The program
was chaired by Municipality Association of Nepal (MUAN) and co-chaired by Chief,
Environmental Health and Health Care Waste Management Section, Management Division of
MoHP. A total of 140 participants attended this webinar.
• WHO Media monitoring product continued to be shared every day with MoHP spokesperson
and HEOC officials.
• Dissemination of WHO explainer videos on contact tracing and the videos with WHO
Representative on counteracting rumours, misinformation and concerns, were shared
through the following channels:
o MoHP COVID-19 portal
o MoHP Mobile App- Hamro Swasthya
o Online specialized health platform- Swasthya Khabar
o UN Communications Group
o UN Risk Communication and Community Engagement Group
o National media outlets
o External Development Partners
o Partner health institutions/organizations/hospitals
• Video shooting has been ongoing with the WHO Representative and MoHP officials on
rumours, misinformation and concerns in English and Nepali language respectively.
Explainer Video in Nepali in the making, addressing the concern - Can COVID-19 be
transmitted from running water? with a MoHP official at UN premises. (Photo Credit- WHO
Nepal/S. Thapaliya)
10
• Continued sharing of the summary of WHO guidance documents which are contextualized
and translated into Nepali, to Health Secretary by the WHO Representative.
• Interviews of Dr. Jos Vandelaer, WHO Representative, published last week are as below:
SN TITLE (NEPALI) URL PUBLICATION DATE LANGUAGE REMARKS

1. Dr Jos Vandelaer’s Link Shared via 26 August Nepali Dr. Jos Vandelaer
2nd Interview at MoHP Facebook Voice-over Interview at MoHP
MoHP Press Page Press Brief
Briefing
2. WHO predicts a Link The Himalayan 26 August English Dr Jos Vandelaer
surge in Times Interview at MoHP
coronavirus deaths Press Brief Quoted
• Continued with ongoing technical support for national COVID-19 logistics forecasting,
quantification, costing, procurement plan and distribution plan. The additional activities,
undertaken this week, are as following:
o Prepared technical report for maintenance of 31 Oxygen concentrators as received
by WHO country office from WHO HQ before handover to the MoHP.
o Work in progress on the national level forecasting and quantification of COVID-19
commodities in need for the next four months’ period, in participation and collaboration
with the Management Division of DoHS/MoHP.
What are the health cluster partners doing?

• With most of the HEOC staff in quarantine and isolation, WHO has facilitated the MOHP to
continue the virtual health cluster coordination (HCC) meeting from an alternate location.
• Regular health sector coordination for COVID-19 and monsoon response are ongoing at the
Federal level, and weekly health sector coordination meetings are continuing, which is
assisting in harmonizing the response to COVID-19 pandemic at all levels.
• Health partners, including the Reproductive Health sub-cluster and the mental health sub-
cluster continued supporting the COVID-19 response and non-COVID response throughout
the country to ensure continuity of services in the context of COVID-19 epidemic.
WHO’s STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE- link here
RECOMMENDATION AND ADVICE FOR THE PUBLIC

– Protect yourself
– Questions and answers
– Travel advice
– EPI-WIN: tailored information for individuals, organizations and communities
USEFUL LINKS
11
▪ MoHP COVID-19 official portal is available here.
▪ Nepal COVID-19 regular updates and resources are available here
▪ For COVID-19 updates from the WHO South-East Asia Region Office, please visit here.
▪ For information regarding coronavirus disease from WHO, please visit here
▪ Please visit this site for all technical guidance from WHO.
▪ Online courses on COVID-19 from WHO can be found here
▪ Global coronavirus disease situation dashboard can be found here
▪ Visit the WHO Nepal Facebook page and webpage on COVID-19 here
CONTACT DETAILS
WHO Representative WHO Incident Manager

Dr Jos Vandelaer Dr Reuben Samuel
WHO Representative to the Federal Team Leader - WHO Health Emergencies
Democratic Republic of Nepal Programme (WHE)
WHO County Office for Nepal WHO Country Office for Nepal
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
Health Cluster Co-lead Communication/Media Focal Point

Dr Lungten Z. Wangchuk Mr Sujan G. Amatya
Scientist; Team Lead - CDS Communications Officer
WHO Country Office for Nepal WHO Country Office for Nepal
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
12

20 Who Nepal Sitrep Covid 19 v5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

20 Who Nepal Sitrep Covid 19 v5

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

20 Who Nepal Sitrep Covid 19 v5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

HIGHLIGHTS

• With the addition of three more laboratories, SITUATION OVERVIEW

Details for 288 cases are yet to come

Table 3: Distribution symptomatic/asymptomatic COVID-19 cases at presentation (N = 40,527) (Data

SN TITLE (NEPALI) URL PUBLICATION DATE LANGUAGE REMARKS

What are the health cluster partners doing?

WHO’s STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE- link here

RECOMMENDATION AND ADVICE FOR THE PUBLIC

WHO Representative WHO Incident Manager

Health Cluster Co-lead Communication/Media Focal Point

You might also like