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A new variant of the coronavirus first detected in the UK has been seen in at least 33 countries around the world, but Nepalese authorities are focusing only on people returning from the UK.
The Covid-19 crisis management center has placed people returning from the UK in hotel quarantine while allowing arrivals from other countries to return home.
‘We have asked all those returning from abroad to remain in isolation at home for 10 days and have placed those returning from the UK in hotel quarantine,’ said Dr Roshan Pokhrel, chief specialist at the Ministry of Health. Health and Population. “We will be making further decisions regarding the quarantine of people returning from other countries after having held meetings with stakeholders.”
At least 200 people have returned from the UK after the new variant of the coronavirus was detected. Among them, several returnees have tested positive for the coronavirus. Swab samples of all who tested positive were sent for whole genome sequencing testing to see if the detected virus was regular or the new variant.
Whole genome sequencing is a comprehensive analysis of all the DNA sequences of an organism’s genes. Researchers believe that sequencing the entire genome of the coronavirus could play a critical role in tracking the severity and properties of the virus.
Public health experts have said concerned authorities are too slow to recognize the level of risk and that their current efforts cannot prevent the new variant of the virus from entering the country.
“The new variant of the virus has been detected even in China, India and Pakistan,” Dr Baburam Marasini, former director of the Division of Epidemiology and Disease Control, told The Post. “Focusing only on people returning from the UK and letting others go home shows that we have learned nothing from our mistakes and failures.”
The existence of a new variant of the highly transmissible coronavirus was announced by the British Secretary of Health on December 14, after the Covid testing laboratories reported that an increasing number of their positive samples were missing a signal from the one of the three genes used by their PCR tests confirm the presence of the virus.
On December 22, Nepalese authorities ordered all international airlines not to bring passengers from the UK or those passing through the country from December 24.
But despite the leadership, people are returning from the UK via transit to other countries.
Even though the virus has reached more than 33 countries around the world, authorities have focused only on those returning from the UK.
According to Business Insider, the new variant of the coronavirus has been detected in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Canada, in Lebanon, Singapore, Australia, United Arab Emirates, India, South Korea, Finland, Pakistan, United States, Turkey, Belgium, Chile, Brazil, Malta, Norway, Portugal, China, Taiwan, Iceland, Ireland, Israel and Jordan.
To make matters worse, no one is monitoring whether or not people returning from abroad remain in quarantine or in isolation.
Doctors say the lack of surveillance of those infected to see if they remain in quarantine is one of the reasons for the high prevalence of the coronavirus in communities.
“All those returning from abroad should be placed in quarantine and certain agencies responsible for monitoring them,” said Dr Prabhat Adhikari, specialist in infectious diseases and intensive care. “The authorities should also take initiatives to provide the technology to perform the sequencing of the entire genome of the virus.”
With no facility to perform whole genome sequencing tests in the country, officials are uncertain whether or not the virus has entered the country.
Much remains to be known about the new variant as it was detected just a few weeks ago, but according to the BBC the new variant of the virus detected in the UK could be 70% more infectious than others circulating in the UK. world.
South Africa is also struggling to contain a new wave of coronavirus infections, likely linked to a genetic mutation in the virus.
Scientists studying new variants of the virus believe the South African variant is more contagious than that seen in the UK and may affect young people more and may be slightly more resistant to existing vaccines. There are also concerns that the South African variant could ‘re-infect’ people who have already recovered from Covid-19.
Dr Adhikari said that although the new variant of the virus seen in the UK is less severe than the classic version, many people will be infected, meaning healthcare facilities will be overwhelmed within days if the virus spreads. .
“The elderly and those with underlying illnesses will be at risk even though the virus is less severe for other groups,” Adhikari added.
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