COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Nepal, emerging UK variant and futuristic vaccination strategies to combat the ongoing pandemic

Ranjit Sah; Asmita Priyadarshini Khatiwada; Sunil Shrestha; K C Bhuvan; Ruchi Tiwari; Ranjan K Mohapatra; Kuldeep Dhama; Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales

doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102037

COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Nepal, emerging UK variant and futuristic vaccination strategies to combat the ongoing pandemic

Travel Med Infect Dis. 2021 May-Jun:41:102037. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102037. Epub 2021 Mar 27.

Authors

Ranjit Sah¹, Asmita Priyadarshini Khatiwada², Sunil Shrestha³, K C Bhuvan³, Ruchi Tiwari⁴, Ranjan K Mohapatra⁵, Kuldeep Dhama⁶, Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales⁷

Affiliations

¹ Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal; National Public Health Laboratory, Kathmandu, Nepal.
² Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Service Research, Nepal Health Research and Innovation Foundation, Lalitpur, Nepal.
³ School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 47500, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
⁴ Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Sciences, Uttar Pradesh Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya Evam Go Anusandhan Sansthan (DUVASU), Mathura, 281001, India.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Government College of Engineering, Keonjhar, Odisha, India.
⁶ Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243122, Uttar Pradesh, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundacion Universitaria Autonoma de Las Americas, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia; School of Medicine, Universidad Privada Franz Tamayo (UNIFRANZ), Cochabamba, Bolivia. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

With the emergence of the new variants of concern (VOC) of the SARS-CoV-2, the efficacy of certain vaccines against them requires further research and considerations for future scenarios of COVID-19 vaccination. The vaccines' lack of efficacy against VOC will pose at risk to the vaccinated population and is a public health threat. In this commentary, we discuss Nepal's recent experiences and expectations regarding the confirmation of VOC B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom in the country.

Keywords: COVID-19; Nepal; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination; Variants of concern.

MeSH terms

COVID-19 / prevention & control*
COVID-19 Vaccines / therapeutic use*
Humans
Immunization Programs / methods*
Mutation
Nepal
Pandemics / prevention & control
Public Health
SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects
SARS-CoV-2 / genetics*
United Kingdom
Vaccination / methods*

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines