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The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently tracking several COVID-19 "variants of interest", including EG.5 which is on the rise in several countries, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Wednesday, according to the United Nations.

"The risk remains of a more dangerous variant emerging that could cause a sudden increase in cases and deaths,” he said.

EG.5 is a sublineage of the omicron variant and has been detected in 51 countries, including the United States, China, South Korea and Japan, according to an initial risk evaluation.

While overall risk is low, "based on its genetic features, immune escape characteristics, and growth rate estimates, EG.5 may spread globally and contribute to a surge in case incidence." 

Tedros recalled that three months have passed since he declared the end of COVID-19 as a global health emergency, though at the time he cautioned that it remains a threat, United Nations reported.

Since then, the number of reported cases, hospitalizations and deaths globally has continued to decline.

Meanwhile, the number of countries reporting data to WHO also significantly declined. In the past month, only 25 per cent reported their COVID-19 deaths and only 11 per cent reported their hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions.

Tedros said the risk of severe disease and death is vastly lower than it was a year ago, due to increasing population immunity - whether from vaccination, infection or both - and from early diagnosis with better clinical care.

“Despite these improvements, WHO continues to assess the risk of COVID-19 to global public health as high. The virus continues to circulate in all countries, it continues to kill and it continues to change,” he added.

In response, WHO has published recommendations for countries, which include updating their national COVID-19 programs to move towards longer term sustained management of the disease.

They are also urged to continue collaborative surveillance to detect significant changes in the virus, as well as trends in disease severity and population immunity.

Tedros called for all countries to report COVID-19 data, especially on death and severe disease, genetic sequences, and vaccine effectiveness.

Governments should continue to offer vaccination against the disease, especially for the most at-risk groups, and ensure equitable access to vaccines, tests and treatment.

Nearly seven million people have died from COVID-19, and there have been more than 769 million confirmed cases worldwide.

The virus first emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and WHO declared the global pandemic the following March.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division has forecasted light to moderate rain in most of the places of the country on Sunday.

The Division said that there are chances of heavy to very heavy rain with thunder and lightning in a few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudur Pashchim Provinces and in one or two places of Madesh Province.

Likewise, the Division has predicted generally to be mostly cloudy throughout the country with the potentiality of the occurrence of light to moderate rain at most of the places of the country tonight.

Heavy to very heavy rain with thunder and lightning has been forecast in some places of Karnali and Sudur Pashchim Provinces, at a few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki  and Lumbini Provinces. 

It has predicted extremely heavy rainfall in one or two places of Sudur Pashchim Province.

The Kathmandu Valley has been receiving rainfall since this morning.

The Division said that presently the axis of monsoon trough is located towards north (near Nepal) from the average position while Nepal experiences influences of a low-pressure area surrounding the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states of India.

Stakeholders are concerned about various factors posing a threat to the Kaligandaki river civilization. The river that originates in Mustang traverses through Myagdi, Baglung, Parbat, Syangja, and Gulmi and so on.

The river is additionally valued for being the source of Shaligram, a dark or brown dark stone which is believed to have a religious significance.

Speaking at a program at Kushma Bazar of Pabat on Saturday, the participants said the river had its own distinct identity and features, remaining intricately linked with human civilization.

They demanded prompt actions to stop an illegal quarrying based in the river. 

The participants were univocal on making proper utilization of its natural resources, without hampering its environmental and ecological integrity.

Kamal Nayanacharya of Muktinath Temple who is long associated with the conservation and promotion endeavors of the river expressed his concern over an increasing threat to its essence and the Shaligram stone.  

He said a religious event aiming to draw the attention of national and international community for the urgency to conserve the river has been scheduled to take place from February 21 to March 6 next year in Sarbasiddhidham Panchakot of Baglung.

Prof Dr Jagannath Regmi urged the state to be attentive for the protection of river waters which is needed for sustaining all aspects of human life.  "The river holds an additional significance over its religious and touristic aspects and it should be well conserved," he asserted.

Former minister Bikash Lamsal said the state's action was needed to preserve the river's integrity, primarily from Muktinath to Devghat while Gandaki Province Assembly member Bhakta Kunwar pledged to take initiation to conserve the river, underlining the need of also protecting the lives depending on the river.

Illegal extractions taking place along the Parbat and Myagdi sections of the river have threatened the ecological aspect of the river, it is said.

Kushma municipality chief administrative officer Chandika Poudel said the role of the three-tier government was vital to keep the river and other aspects associated with it unharmed.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has said that no flights meant for rescue operations have been prohibited in remote areas during the 'operation hours'.

The recent decision of the CAAN mandates airlines to conduct flights to remote areas only within the fixed time. 

The decision is said to be for mitigating the risk of air incidents during the monsoon season and enhancing flight safety. However, the CAAN has been criticized for the move.

CAAN spokesperson Jagannath Niraula said that the restriction on flight beyond the operating hours is solely applicable during the monsoon period and is not targeted at rescue flights.

The prohibition is just for commercial flights in remote areas. 

The CAAN said that typically the 'operation hours' for airports based in remote areas begin at 6:30 am and end at 12:30 in the afternoon.