Why should Nepal prioritise Dalit communities in its Covid vaccination?

The impact of the Covid pandemic has been unprecedented, with more than 99 million cases reported including more than 2 million deaths in the world. However, it is on the decline in Nepal as on December 16, Nepal reported zero Covid cases in the past 31 months. But, just eight days later, on December 24, the Ministry issued a statement warning against the possibility of another Covid outbreak in view of a new sub-variant BF.7 that has a higher infectious rate seen in neighbouring countries—China, Japan and South Korea.

A season of gatherings and celebrations is going on now as the English calendar is marking the New Year this weekend. Hence, in the statement, the ministry has urged the public to follow public health safety measures that include wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, washing hands with soap and water or using sanitisers to prevent the infection.