The Ministry of Health and Population on Saturday requested people to adhere to health safety protocols saying the risk of coronavirus infection persists.

In a statement on Saturday, Dr Sanjay Kumar Thakur, spokesperson of the Health Ministry, asked people to be cautious as crowds are expected during Christmas and English New Year celebrations, urging them to mask up, maintain social distancing, practice handwashing and get jabbed to ward off the coronavirus.

“General public who are yet to receive booster shots, go to the nearest health facility and get jabbed. The Covid-19 risks are not over yet,” reads the press release.

The Health Ministry said that the B.F.7 sub-variant of Omicron that has been confirmed in countries including China, Japan and South Korea is yet to be detected in Nepal.

At least 17 different sub-variants of the Omicron variant of Covid have been spreading in Nepal at present, a whole-genome sequencing carried out by the Ministry of Health and Population has shown.

According to results provided by the National Public Health Laboratory to the health ministry, BA.2, BA2.75, BA.2.75.1, BA.2.75.2, BA.2.75.3, BA.2.75.5, BA.2.75.6, BA.2.76, BA.5.2, BA.5.2.1, BM.1, BM.1.1.3, BN.1.3, BQ.1.1, BQ.1.2, By.1 and XBB sub-variants of the Omicron variant have been found to be circulating in the country.

Spokesman Dr Thakur said there is a risk of infection of the new Omicron variant in Nepal as well due to open borders and the movement of people, emphasising the need for the general public to remain alert for its prevention and control.

So far, 12,019 Covid-related deaths have been reported in Nepal, according to the official count. The Health Ministry said that 22,324,933 people or 76.5 percent of the total population have been fully vaccinated. The number of people taking booster shots stands at 7,972,791, as of Thursday.