Amid a looming risk of outbreak of new variants of coronavirus in the country, the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division said that it has imparted field epidemiology training to over 150 health workers.

Officials say that those field epidemiologists will be deployed for coronavirus surveillance, outbreak investigations and contact tracing, among others, in case of disease outbreak.

“We have completed field epidemiology training for the 10th batch of health workers,” said Dr Chandra Bhal Jha, director at the division. “Each batch consists of over 15 health workers. We will mobilise these trained health workers for coronavirus surveillance if an outbreak occurs in the country.”

Officials say field epidemiologists are the first line of defense in public health emergencies including outbreaks of highly contagious viral diseases like coronavirus. Field epidemiologists are trained in disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, data analysis and risk communication. They help prevent further spread of the deadly diseases by strictly enforcing prevention measures, identifying sources of outbreak, and reducing public health risks.

“We did not have sufficient field epidemiologists in the past, and to address this gap, we decided to impart training to health workers serving in state-run health facilities,” said Jha. “We hope that we will handle the risks more properly in the coming days.”

Officials anticipated an imminent outbreak of a new variant of coronavirus, as neighbouring India has reported a sharp spike in new coronavirus cases.

According to media reports, India recorded 3,395 active Covid cases with four fresh deaths from Indian states of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and capital Delhi on Saturday. As many as 26 Covid-related deaths have been reported since January in India.

The southern neighbour has also confirmed the emergence of four new sub-variants of omicron—NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, XFG and JN.1.

Along with India, several other countries including Singapore, Thailand, China (Hong Kong), and the US have also reported a surge in coronavirus cases.

The World Health Organisation has classified NB.1.8 subvariant as a variant under monitoring. The UN health body said that additional public health risk posed by NB.1.8.1 is evaluated as low at the global level as per the available evidence.

“Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalisations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data do not indicate that the variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation,” reads the WHO statement.

Experts say even if the new variant of coronavirus is of a mild nature, elderly people and those with underlying conditions are at risk of getting severe symptoms if infected.

They said that the virus could enter Nepal at any time due to geographic proximity with, and the movement of people, from countries that are seeing a spike in infections. The country in the past witnessed Covid outbreaks after surges in other countries.

As it has already been years since many people were inoculated with Covid vaccine, officials say their immunity level has waned.

“It’s high time people be careful and follow preventive measures—wearing face masks, washing hands and avoiding crowds,” said Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, chief of the Clinical Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital. “We must think of the vulnerable population at our homes and follow safety measures. Surveillance measures must be stepped up and coronavirus tests should also be carried out on patients with influenza-like symptoms.”

Meanwhile, officials at the Ministry of Health and Population concede low stock of rapid diagnostic test kits, reagents and vaccine doses despite the heightened risks of disease outbreak.

“We are aware of the risks and closely monitoring the developments in neighbouring countries,” said Dr Tanka Barakoti, director general at the Department of Health Services. “It takes two to three weeks for the virus to spread in Nepal after an outbreak in India. We have alerted our agencies concerned accordingly.”

Experts are asking the authorities concerned to step up surveillance measures, including conducting coronavirus tests on patients with influenza-like symptoms. They have also urged the public to follow basics—wearing face masks, washing hands and avoiding crowds to cut down on infection risks.