Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli has written in British publication The Guardian that the COVID-19 pandemic pandemic has overwhelmed Nepal and called for international support just two days after telling the CNN that the pandemic is under control in Nepal.
The piece that was published just over an hour after he failed the floor test Monday evening is in stark contrast to his short interview to the American broadcaster CNN when he claimed that the coronavirus situation in Nepal is under control.
"The infection graph is climbing up and so is the rate of people testing positive. There have been about 8,000 new cases every day for the past several days, which is quite high for a country of approximately 30 million people. Even though our mortality rate is relatively low, every one of the 3,720 lives that, at the time of writing, we have lost to the pandemic is precious for us," Oli has written in The Guardian.
He has added that the government is trying its best to fight the pandemic but pointed that the best efforts of the government is not enough and called for international support. "But due to the constraints of resources and infrastructure, the pandemic is turning out to be an overwhelming burden. I have, therefore, appealed to the international community to help us with vaccines, diagnostic tools, oxygen kits, critical care medicines and equipment, to support our efforts to save lives. Our urgent goal is to stop preventable deaths occurring."
He has invoked Nepal's historical ties with Britain to plead for support and expressed hope that the country will also use its capacity as G7 chair to ensure vaccine distribution throughout the world.
"As the current chair of the G7, and a champion of human welfare, the UK is in a position to play an important role in generating international support. Nepal has faith that Britain will use its influence to ensure that the G7 accelerates the deployment of vaccines around the world, especially to the countries that need them most urgently."
