Dharamshala: For the first time after a prolonged battle with globally spread Covid-19 and its variants, the Tibetan community in India and Nepal recorded zero active cases of Covid-19 as reported during the 104th central taskforce briefing on Covid-19.

As for the vaccination status, a total of  50052 Tibetans above 18 years are now fully vaccinated in India. In Nepal, the tally stands at 7129. Partially vaccinated in India stand at 328. As for the number of under 18 vaccination status, around 1164 Tibetans have been fully vaccinated. In Nepal, 109 Tibetans below 18 years have been fully vaccinated. Since the introduction of the booster shot in India in January, a total of 3627 Tibetans above 60 years have received the booster shot while 181 Tibetans in Nepal received the shot. In addition, 589 front line workers also received the booster/precautionary shot.

Till now, the total cases reported in the Tibetan community across India and Nepal is 9150 out of which, 8982 individuals have recovered while 168 have succumbed.

Remarking on the declining cases of covid reported in India, Dr Gyatso of Delek hospital urged continuous abidance of covid safety regulations especially the deliberate usage of masks

Deputy Secretary Pema Youdon of the Health Department presented a brief report on the contributions made by the Tibetan Medicare System (TMS) between 2020-2021 when India was hard hit by the second wave of Covid-19. Under the TMS program of the Health Department, a total of monetary aid worth 17 lakhs were disbursed to 109 registered users in 2020-2022. Besides the aid, a sum of Rs 7000 per day was disbursed to individuals admitted to ICU due to covid. A total sum of Rs 3500 per day was provided to individuals admitted to the general ward.

To register with TMS, the enrolment fee for a family of five is required to pay a nominal fee of INR 3900 on a yearly basis. Individuals who are without a family can opt for individual coverage by paying a contribution of INR 990 yearly. For this contribution, a family of five would get a cashless benefit up to INR 120,000 for hospitalization expenses at selected hospitals. Likewise, individuals without families can avail up to INR 60,000 a year for hospitalisation and medical expenses. Interested Tibetan applicants can now apply for the program by 15 April 2022.