In view of the increasing COVID-19 cases in neighboring India and China, the Ministry of Health and Population has urged all people to receive booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines. The new variant, BF.7, has been detected in India and China, and its transmission to Nepal may take place due to open borders with the countries, said Ministry's spokesperson Dr Sanjaya Kumar Thakur. So, precaution should be adopted, he added. The variant has not been detected in Nepal so far. Those who have taken the first and second dose of the vaccines should compulsorily get booster shots, he said.

The government is at work to bring booster doses. According to him, 1.5 million booster doses would be brought soon. Out of the total 9.2 million doses of the vaccines agreed to Nepal under the COVAX facility, 3.7 million doses have reached the country so far, it has been said.

Similarly, the Ministry has urged people to follow health protocols, and use facemasks and sanitizers, wash hands with soap and maintain physical distance. Meanwhile, the Ministry has urged people to be safe from the risk of cold waves and snow. Ministry's assistant spokesperson Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari said the people have been urged to keep themselves safe as the cold is increasing due to the cold wave and snowfall since some time. The Ministry has urged people to wear warm clothes covering the whole body, to keep the rooms warm and to manage proper ventilation and air flow in the room. Adhikari said that the children, senior citizens, pregnant women and people with chronic disease should be protected from cold. Likewise, the Ministry urged people to regular breast-feeding to the breast-fed infants, feeding them with warm and nutritious liquid feed. It also urged people against smoking and drinking alcohol.