By Siraj Khan
Nepalgunj, Jan. 6: The health condition of the unvaccinated or those receiving only one dose of the COVID-19 patients in Banke district is found critical, according to the Bheri Hospital in the district. A few of these people are also dying of COVID-19 health complications.

According to Dr. Rajan Pandey, chief at the Medical Department of the hospital, many of those who died from COVID-19 complications were unvaccinated patients while the vaccinated ones have been spared.
The health condition is also complicated among those who have not received any dose or only a single dose of COVID-19 vaccines, said Dr. Pandey. The vaccinated are less likely to get infected and less likely to get critically ill, he added.

As the vaccines’ effectiveness quite high, everyone should get both shots against COVID-19 soon, said Dr. Pandey, adding that the spread of the virus was still high and one needed to get vaccinated to keep the disease at bay.
“We are seeing an increase in the share of COVID-19 patients who are not vaccinated,” said Dr. Pandey, urging the unvaccinated to get their jabs. Fully vaccinated people, if infected with virus, do not face critical condition and may not need oxygen during the treatment, he said.

Dr. Sanket Risal, information officer at the hospital, said that people receiving only one shot were also in critical condition after getting infected with the virus.
According to Dr. Risal, among 60 infected people admitted to the hospital in a month, five died and they were vaccinated with only one dose. Fully vaccinated people returned home without having to face critical condition, said Dr. Risal.

Banke was the hotspot during both first and second wave of the pandemic. Doctors advise people to be more cautions as the district borders India where the new variant, Omicron, is rapidly spreading.
According to Dhirjung Shah of District Health Office, Banke, 470,000 people are eligible to get vaccinated. Among them, 70 per cent have received the first dose while 50 per cent have received both doses, said Shah. A total of 117,000 people have yet to be inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine in the district.