Unvaccinated people are 10 times more likely to be infected, 17 times more likely to be hospitalised: Health Ministry

KATHMANDU, Jan 13: Dr Janak Koirala, affiliated with Patan Institute of Health Sciences and Nepal Health Research Council maintained that people who are not vaccinated against the corona virus are 10 times more likely to be infected with the new variant of the virus. Those who have not been vaccinated are 17 times more likely to be hospitalised and 20 times more likely to die. 

Speaking during the regular press meeting of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), Dr Koirala also maintained that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is found to be more communicable than variants detected previously.

He also stated that a larger number of people will be infected by coronavirus disease triggered by the outbreak of Omicron variant than that of the first and second wave of COVID-19 that Nepal witnessed.

According to Dr Koirala, a person infected with the Omicron variant can transmit the virus to 10 more people.

"The rate of infection in the first wave was one person to two people, the second wave from delta virus was one to four to five people," Dr Koirala added.

As many as 3,075 new cases of the novel coronavirus disease were reported on Wednesday. 

According to the health ministry, those cases were detected from 13,036 tests carried out on that day. 

Meanwhile, the Kathmandu Valley alone witnessed 1,498 more positive cases including 1,168 in Kathmandu district.