COVID-19 related Symptoms and Vaccination Usage among Informal Waste Workers of Kathmandu, Nepal

ABSTRACT

Introduction: About 56% of the total population of Nepal has been fully immun-ized against COVID-19. But still, migrant workers outside of Nepal are struggling to get COVID vaccines. This study was intended to study the COVID-19 symptoms among IWWs of Kathmandu and the usage of vaccines by them. Methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted among 107 IWWs of Kath-mandu Valley from Balkhu, Sanepa, Kalimati and Teku areas. A convenience sam-pling method was used to find the respondents based on their willingness to par-ticipate in the study. A face-to-face interview was conducted using a structured questionnaire to collect data from IWWs. Results: Following the COVID-19 symptoms, most of the waste workers had a fe-ver (89.7%) followed by cough (86%) and respiratory problems (55.1%). Despite of majority of waste workers having COVID-related symptoms, only 19.6% of waste workers had done COVID tests. The majority of IWWs of Kathmandu were afraid to take the COVID vaccine. Around 77.6% of waste workers hadn't still taken the COVID vaccine with a majority (93.9 %) of them identified as Indian nationals. Conclusion: Despite having COVID-related symptoms, IWWs haven't gone for COVID tests. Though interested, the IWWs need identity cards for vaccination which counts fewer waste workers being vaccinated. © 2023 The Author(s).