Crisis on the summit: Dozens infected with corona virus on Everest; But Nepal denies this due to the greed of tourism income.

Climbers climb Mount Everest in the last week of May.

In April, Jangbu Sherpa fell ill with phlegm and fever at the base camp on the summit of Everest. His condition started deteriorating rapidly at an altitude of 17 thousand 590 feet. The mountaineering company had hired Sherpas to help a Bahrain prince climb Everest. He was taken to Nepal’s capital Kathmandu by helicopter and admitted to the hospital. He was suffering from Kovid-19.

After recovering, the Sherpas returned to the base camp. There was a shortage of experienced Sherpa guides like him due to the pandemic. If the prince’s mission was not fulfilled, the company would have suffered heavy losses. Apart from Sherpa, 59 persons have been reported to be infected with different viruses. However, the government denies this.

Possibly 38-year-old Jangbu Sherpa will be the first corona virus victim to reach the summit of Everest. Rajkumar and 15 others reached the summit on the morning of 11 May under his leadership. According to conversations with climbers, climbing companies and social media, 59 people who reached the Himalayas by the end of the climbing season earlier this month had been infected. Five of these people have scaled the summit. Are Sherpas and mountaineers supermen, says Ang Tsering Sherpa, former head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. In-depth research is necessary on this issue.

But, the Government of Nepal says that Kovid-19 never spread on Everest. Tourism officials refute the climbers’ statements. Despite Everest expeditions being canceled and the affected people being brought to hospital by helicopter, the tourism department is sticking to its stand. In April, Norwegian climber Erland Ness, British climber Steve Davies and a few others reported being infected with the corona virus amid the Everest expedition on social media posts.

A negative test was mandatory for all climbers before starting their climb to the base camp. So it is likely that most of the people would have been infected on the mountain. It is also possible that when some people have come, their infection may not have been detected. Despite the first cases being reported in the last week of April and early May, it was imperative for companies to launch the campaign as they spend 60 per cent of their budget on preparations.

Question of income of 15 thousand crores
Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, is battling a severe outbreak of the corona virus and lack of a vaccine. Some Sherpas were vaccinated in the middle of the climbing season. Less than three percent of the population has received both doses of the vaccine. The government has several reasons to suppress the spread of the virus on Everest. Nepal has earned about 15 thousand crore rupees from climbing and trekking in 2019. Campaigns in 2020 were canceled due to the virus.