https://x.com/chrischirp/status/1395428305147412488
THREAD about Nepal - *please read & share*: India had the eyes of the world upon it a couple of weeks ago as the scale of its covid crisis became clear. Nepal's crisis is worse. The UN says Nepal now has the highest transmission in the world https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/05142021%20Nepal%20SitRep%20C19.pdf…
Cases may look like they're plateauing but testing is at capacity and positivity rates are almost 50% (1 in 2 people testing positive!!). This is the world's highest positive rate. 2/7
Very few people have received even one dose of vaccine. Nepal's healthcare system is also weaker than India's. 3/7
It is likely that Nepal's surge has been worsened by B.1.617.2 (the new variant of concern here, first sequenced in India). It is now almost certainly the dominant variant there.
4/7
The UN highlight an *urgent* need for humanitarian aid. The world responded to India - will it respond to Nepal? It may not have the global clout of its big neighbour, but its people are in desperate need. Because Nepal is much smaller, help will have a bigger impact. 5/7
http://Change.org & @alliance4nepuk have started a petition for Dominic Raab to send help - we can send Oxygen and Oxygen equipment and other much needed supplies.
Please join Michael Palin, Joanna Lumley, Jeremy Farrar & others in supporting 6/7
PS Confirmed cases going down in India now but also the pandemic has moved to rural areas where it is less visible. Certainly a very severe situation persists in India as well. https://bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-57154564…