The data of Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) show that only around 14 percent of newly COVID-infected patients had taken single or both doses of anti-COVID vaccine. That means, about 86 percent of newly infected people were not vaccinated.
According to the spokesperson of MoHP, Dr Krishna Prasad Poudel, 5,839 new cases were detected from September 17 to September 23. Of them, 812 people or 13.90 percent had taken complete or single doses.
The number of vaccinated people who died due to infection has also been few of late.
According to the Division of Epidemiology and Disease Control, 13 people died due to COVID-19 on September 23 and all of them were unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Dr Achyut Karki of Bir Hospital said that vaccinated people recover faster than non-vaccinated people. He said that those who have been vaccinated are often discharged within two or three days of being admitted to the hospital. The mortality rate for such infections is also very low.
Senior chest specialist at the National Tuberculosis Center, Dr Nabin Prakash Shah says that vaccination can save lives even if it cannot completely prevent COVID-19 infection.
“Those who have been fully vaccinated around the world, including in Nepal, have a very low risk of serious illness and death owing to COVID-19,” he said.
Doctors say that the appearance of infection even after vaccination should be understood as ‘breakthrough infection’ and could appear two weeks after vaccination. The delta variant is the main mutant virus behind the infection even after being vaccinated.
As of Saturday, 6,528,392 people have received the first dose of the anti-COVID vaccine while 6,014,941 people have received the full dose of vaccination.
According to the ministry, so far 30 percent of the target population over the age of 18 have been vaccinated with the first dose and 27.6 percent with the second dose.
