KATHMANDU: The United Nations and its partners in Nepal have launched an emergency COVID-19 plan and called for international solidarity to protect the lives of vulnerable people and communities in Nepal in the wake of the deepening COVID-19 crisis.
In a press release issued Friday, they said the Nepal COVID-19 Response Plan was launched, calling for US dollars 83.7 million to mobilize an emergency response over the next three months to assist 750,000 of the most vulnerable people affected by the pandemic.
The plan was endorsed by the Nepal Humanitarian Country Team and the Government of Nepal’s COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) and lays out critical areas of support required to complement the government’s response efforts.
UN Resident Coordinator Sara Beysolow Nyanti observed, “The current outbreak is having a devastating impact not just on health but across all sectors, hitting the poorest and most marginalized people in Nepali society the hardest. The COVID-19 Response Plan that we are launching today calls for swift action and international solidarity that is desperately needed to save lives and prevent unnecessary suffering today, tomorrow, and in the difficult weeks to come. We have no time to lose.”
After several months of relatively low daily cases in Nepal, cases began to increase rapidly in mid-April, rising from 150 cases per day in early April to over 8,000 cases per day since 5 May. Over 44% of COVID-19 tests nationally are coming back positive, suggesting that case numbers are much higher than reported. Despite the surge beginning almost three weeks after India’s, Nepal is experiencing roughly the same number of daily cases per capita as India, but with a health system whose capacity is much more limited, the press release stated.
Similarly, WHO Representative to Nepal, Dr. Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, said, “The recent surge in cases has resulted in an unprecedented need for medical supplies including oxygen, medicines, ventilators, diagnostic kits and vaccines. While WHO and partners are supporting Nepal’s endeavors in mounting a robust response, fighting the pandemic necessitates international solidarity.” He appealed to friends of Nepal from around the world to come forward and help with fulfilling the needs of the hour.
Moreover, UNICEF Representative for Nepal, Elke Wisch, viewed, “Nepal is experiencing an alarming new COVID-19 surge, with a steep rise in cases that has overwhelmed Nepal’s fragile health system. As we respond to the immediate health crisis to help save lives, we cannot forget the devastating broader impact the current COVID-19 surge has on children and young people in Nepal. They are being cut off from vital support networks, losing parents and caregivers, and witnessing scenes no child should ever see. We must come together, nationally and internationally, if we are to prevent interrupted childhoods in Nepal from being lost for good.”
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