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WHO says no evidence suggests BCG vaccine can protect against COVID-19

Posted on by SAT News Desk

GENEVA: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no evidence that the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is primarily used against tuberculosis, protects people against infection with the novel coronavirus.

The WHO, therefore, didn’t recommend BCG vaccination for the prevention of COVID-19 in the absence of evidence, according to its daily situation report on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

WHO stated that there is experimental evidence from both animal and human studies that the BCG vaccine has non-specific effects on the immune system. These effects have not been well characterized and their clinical relevance remains unknown.

Two clinical trials addressing the question are underway, and WHO will evaluate the evidence when it is available, it noted.

BCG vaccination prevents severe forms of tuberculosis in children and diversion of local supplies may result in an increase of disease and deaths from tuberculosis, it warned.

MIT Australia announces $1 million in financial hardship support for international students

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London —  Melbourne-based billionaire couple Dr Shesh Ghale and Jamuna Gurung have announced $1 million goodwill fund for students enrolled at the Melbourne and Sydney campuses of Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT).

The Governing Board of the College has pledged  $1,000,000 Financial Hardship Fund in order to support needy students enrolled in either an MIT or Federation University course at MIT in Trimester 1, 2020.

“The Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT), a leading private provider of higher education in Australia, appreciates the valuable contributions made by international students and recognises the significant impact COVID-19 has had on the finances of some of its most vulnerable students, who through no fault of their own are struggling with the cost of living and studying.  Some face a very desperate situation where their part-time or casual employment has ceased and they are unable to return to their home country and at the same time experience difficulty in affording their continued stay in Australia,” MIT states in its press statement.

The safety and well-being of the MIT community remains the top priority, and MIT is doing everything possible to support students, during this difficult time.

The one-million-dollar Financial Hardship Fund will be accessible to eligible students through one-off grants of up to $500 each.  Students are not required to repay the grants given.

In addition to grant payments, MIT has made available other financial assistance initiatives to support students to effectively manage their finances through these extremely challenging times.

 “We have taken these necessary actions to support our international student community following a concerted effort to capture specific details from our student population regarding their financial needs at this time. The one-million-dollar Financial Hardship Fund and other financial assistance initiatives are designed to specifically address the identified needs of our students,” Dr Shesh Ghale, CEO of MIT, said.

Dr Ghale is also former President of the Non-Resident Nepali Association International Coordination Council.

Labour MP Sharma demands honorary commission for Captain Tom Moore

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London – Labour leader and MP, Virendra Sharma, has written to the Chief of the General Staff calling for Captain Tom Moore to receive an honorary commission.

He also thanked General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith for the hard work of the armed forces so far during the Covid-19 crisis.

In his letter, lawmaker Sharma said, “You will, I am sure, have seen the amazing work of Captain Tom Moore, and I was very pleased to see the Soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment supporting him on his final lap. His hard work, perseverance and commitment to public service, even in his 99th year embody the best of the British Army and the best of Britain as a country. Considering this I would like to heartily recommend Captain Moore for an honorary commission and request that Captain Moore be made a Major-General in recognition of his important act. I am sure at this time it would be a great act of encouragement for all those working hard in the face of Covid-19, and would be of great importance to Captain Moore. Thank you for considering this important matter.”

The Labour leader, who himself was admitted at the hospital after contracting coronavirus, has also paid tributes to the NHS and its excellent staff.

The 99-year-old war veteran is in the news for the past few days after he walked 100 laps in the backyard of his house and raised whopping £14 million for the NHS.

Captain Tom Moore originally wanted to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.

But more than 700,000 people have already made donations after the news became public.

Meanwhile, more than 200,000 people have signed a petition asking the British government to award him a knighthood.

Downing Street said Prime Minister Boris Johnson will “certainly be looking at ways to recognise” him.

“It would be marvelous to have such an honour but I don’t expect anything like that,” a BBC news report quoted Captain Tom as saying.

Lockdown has been extended by three weeks in the United Kingdom. 

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London — The coronavirus lockdown has been extended by three weeks in the United Kingdom.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson ,  confirmed the extension following advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

Speaking at Downing Street’s daily coronavirus news briefing, Mr Raab said: “The government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks.”

He said SAGE had advised that “relaxing any of the measures in place” would “undo the progress we have made” and would “risk damage to both public health and the economy”.

 

The number of coronavirus patients who have died in UK hospitals has gone past 13,000 after another 861 deaths.

The Department of Health announced the increase, which takes the total to 13,729.

Men were twice as likely to die from coronavirus : Report

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London — Men were twice as likely to have died of coronavirus than women in March, according to an analysis of deaths registered in England and Wales, according to ONS statistics.

Men had a significantly higher rate of death due to Covid-19, double the rate of women, and were more likely to die from the disease across all affected age groups.

A total of 3,912 deaths involving coronavirus were registered in the month of March. In 86% of these cases it was found to be the underlying cause of death.

At 3,372 deaths, Covid-19 was the third-highest cause of death, accounting for 7% of all fatalities. Only dementia and Alzheimer disease, which accounted for 14% of all deaths, and heart disease at 9% caused more deaths.

The ONS found that the mortality rate in England was significantly higher than in Wales, at 69.7 deaths per 100,000 people compared with 44.5 deaths per 100,000 people.

The figures exclude some deaths involving Covid-19 which occurred in March which have not yet been registered.

According to ONS, there were more deaths involving COVID-19 among males than females up to 3 April. Of the 4,122 deaths registered, 2,523 were men and 1,599 women.

Gender appears to play a key factor in death rate in every age group, although the difference was most apparent in the 65-74 age bracket.

BMA urges government to ease visa norms for overseas doctors

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London — PRITI PATEL has been urged to consider visa concessions for qualified overseas doctors, including many from India, to help them support the NHS in battling the coronavirus pandemic.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has written to the home secretary to take urgent measures, including easier switch between different categories of visas and automatic indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or permanent residency for international medical professionals, the eastern eye writes.

“International doctors play a hugely important role in the delivery of our NHS. At this time of national crisis, I am writing to ask you to take urgent measures to support international medical professionals working in the NHS for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic,” BMA chair Chaand Nagpaul said in the letter.

“It is important that medical professionals who wish to assist in the current crisis are supported in doing so. We are calling on you to ensure the Home Office urgently updates its guidance to support international doctors,” he said.

Besides ILR for the doctors themselves, the BMA has also flagged the need to confirm the residency status of the dependents of international doctors who die while working on the front line.

An online petition on the official UK Parliament’s petitions website calling on the government to “Give Non-British citizens who are NHS workers automatic citizenship” attracted over 40,000 signatures within days, making it incumbent upon the Home Office to formally respond as it crossed the required 10,000 mark.

G20 agree to provide temporary debt relief to the world’s poorest countries

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London – The Group of 20 leading economies have agreed to provide temporary debt relief to the world’s poorest countries in the wake of the corona pandemic.

During a teleconference meeting held on Wednesday,  G-20 finance ministers and central bankers said the moratorium on debt payments would begin on May 1 and last through the end of the year 2020. They also asked private creditors to join them.

“We support a time-bound suspension of debt-service payments for the poorest countries that request forbearance,” said the group in a communique, which collectively accounts for roughly 85% of global output.

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said that the G-20 debt relief for the world’s poorest countries is worth about $20 billion.

The group said in its communique that it would consider a possible extension of the moratorium, taking into account analysis of debtor countries’ liquidity needs by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

“This is a powerful, fast-acting initiative that will do much to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of millions of the most vulnerable people,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass said in joint statement.

Debt Moratorium

The two had pushed for the debt moratorium.

The Institute of International Finance estimates that the world’s poorest nations have some $140 billion in general government debt-service obligations due through the end of the year, including $10 billion in foreign currency. That calculation includes all kinds of debt: to private and public creditors, domestic and foreign, short term and long term.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron had called for a massive cancellation of African nations’ sovereign debt.

The world’s poorest countries, which are eligible for aid from the World Bank’s International Development Association, comprise 76 countries with many in Africa but also elsewhere, including Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti, Kosovo and Syria.

The meeting came amid widespread criticism – including from many G20 member countries – of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision on Tuesday to temporarily halt funding to the World Health Organization over its handling of the COVID-19 disease pandemic, which has now killed 131,000 people, Reuters news agency reported.

The initiative, backed by the Paris Club of creditors, is part of globally coordinated efforts to bolster the global economy which is facing the deepest recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s due to the pandemic, the report said.

 

A 106-year-old woman recover from COVID-19 in the UK leaves hospital

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London — A 106-year-old woman believed to be the UK’s oldest patient to recover from coronavirus has been discharged from hospital, Skynews reported.

Great-grandmother Connie Titchen suffered from the virus for just under three weeks and was given the all-clear by medics this week.

On leaving Birmingham City Hospital, she said: “I feel very lucky that I’ve fought off this virus. I can’t wait to see my family.”

Coronavirus: where do new viruses come from?

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Naomi Forrester-Soto

Reader in Vector Biology, Keele University

The recent emergence of the novel coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a spotlight on the risks that animals can pose to humans as the source of new viruses. The virus in question, known as SARS-CoV-2, has been linked to a “wet market” for wild animal trade in Wuhan, China, although it’s by no means certain this was the source of the human version of the virus. Bats have been identified as the animal with the closest known equivalent virus although, again, we’re not sure that a bat provided the direct origin of SARS-CoV-2.

So how do new viruses actually emerge from the environment and start infecting humans? Every virus has a unique origin in terms of its timing and mechanism, but there are some general facts that are true for all species of emerging virus.

The first thing to know is that it is rare for viruses to jump between species. In order for a virus to successfully jump into a new species of host it must be able to do several things.

First, it must be able to establish an infection in the new host by replicating itself there. This is not a given, as many viruses can only infect specific types of cells, such as lung cells or kidney cells. When attacking a cell, a virus binds to specific receptor molecules on the cell’s surface and so may not be able to bind to other types of cell. Or the virus may simply be unable to replicate inside the cell for whatever reason.

Once it has infected a new host, the virus must also be able to replicate itself enough to infect others and transmit itself to them. This, again, is very rare and most virus jumps will result in what we call “dead-end hosts” from which the virus cannot transmit itself and eventually dies.

For example, the influenza virus H5N1, or “bird flu” can infect humans from birds, but has very limited transmission between humans. Occasionally, this barrier is overcome, and the emerging virus is able to jump to a new host, establishing a new transmission chain and a novel outbreak.

From research over the past few decades, we understand some of the mechanisms that contribute to virus jumps between species. Influenza virus is a classic example. The virus contains eight genome segments and if two different viruses infect the same cell, segments from both can mix to create a novel virus species. If the proteins on the surface of the new virus have significantly changed from currently circulating influenza virus strains, then no one will have immunity and the new virus can easily spread.

This shift in the influenza virus is called antigenic shift. This is what we think happened with the 2009 H1N1 influenza epidemic, with the shift occurring in pigs and then jumping to humans to start the outbreak. There is also genetic evidence that this mechanism can occur in coronaviruses, although its role in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 remains to be determined.

New viruses can also emerge through genetic mutations within the virus genome, which are more common among viruses that, instead of DNA, store their genetic information in the similar molecule RNA. This because these viruses (with the exception of coronaviruses) lack a way to check for mistakes when they replicate. Most of the mutations produced during replication will be damaging to the virus but some will enable it infect a new host more effectively.

New coronavirus

So what do we think happened in the case of SARS-CoV-2? Recent analysis of the genome suggest that the virus had been circulating in a very similar form to today for approximately 40 years. The closest relative of the virus that we can identify is one found in bats. However, this virus and SARS-CoV-2 probably shared a common ancestor approximately 40-70 years ago, and so this bat virus is not the cause of the outbreak.

Although these viruses share a common ancestor, 40 years of evolution since then has separated them. This means that SARS-CoV-2 may have jumped to humans from bats, or it may have come via an intermediate species. Closely related viruses have been found in pangolins, for example. But the exact path of the genetically distinct SARS-CoV-2 will remain a mystery until we are able to find closer relative species in the environment.

It is also unclear what changed in the virus to allow it to infect humans so easily. However, given that three major diseases have emerged from the coronavirus family in the last 20 years – SARS, MERS and COVID-19 – it is likely that this will not be the last time a coronavirus jumps into humans and causes a new disease outbreak.

What makes this more likely is that, while they circulate in all animals in the world, viruses are only able to jump to humans when they have an opportunity from contact between us and other animals. Humans have always come into contact with new viruses as they have explored new areas and spread across the globe. But increased human activity in wild areas and the trade in wild animals creates a perfect breeding ground.

This is also compounded by our global connectedness, which enables a new disease to spread around the world in days. We must accept some responsibility for these emergence events as we continue to disturb natural environments and increase the likelihood of viruses jumping into humans.

From : The Conversation

Trump announces U.S. will halt funding for WHO over coronavirus response

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London — President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he is directing his administration’s officials to halt U.S. funding of the World Health Organization, as he accused the WHO of mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus. He threatened to freeze U.S. funding to the WHO earlier this month.

“Today I’m instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organization while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus,” Trump said at a White House press conference.

Trump criticized the international agency’s response to the outbreak, saying “one of the most dangerous and costly decisions from the WHO was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations” that Trump imposed early on in the outbreak.

“Fortunately, I was not convinced and suspended travel from China saving untold numbers of lives,” he said.

It’s unclear exactly what mechanism Trump intends to use to withhold WHO funding, much of which is appropriated by Congress. The president typically does not have the authority to unilaterally redirect congressional funding.

One option might be for Trump to use powers granted to the president under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Under this statute, the president may propose to withhold congressional funds, but it requires congressional approval within 45 days. Absent this approval, the funds must be returned to their original, congressionally mandated purpose after 45 days, CNBC writes.

Fully-recovered coronavirus patients are at risk of contracting the disease again – WHO

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London— Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Monday that even fully-recovered coronavirus patients are at risk of contracting the disease again, as recovering does not necessarily guarantee immunity, according to a Sputnik News report.

CNN reported the Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, Mike Ryan, saying in press conference at the WHO’s Geneva headquarters on Monday that “With regards to recovery and then reinfection, I believe we do not have the answers to that. That is an unknown.”

A preliminary study of patients in Shanghai found that some patients had “no detectable antibody response” while others had a very high response, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s lead scientist on COVID-19.

Whether patients who had response will be immunized against contracting the disease a second time is a different question, she said.

“That’s something that we really need to better understand is what does that antibody response look like in terms of immunity,” she continued.

Ryan explained that there are questions about whether the virus can be reactivated after the patient recovers.

“There are many reasons why we might see reactivation of infection either with the same infection or another infectious agent,” he said.

Another 778 deaths in UK taking the death toll to 12,107

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London — According to the department of health, another 778 patients with coronavirus have died in hospitals across the UK, taking the nationwide total to 12,107.

The number of tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has also risen by 14,982 to 382,650, although this figure includes some patients being tested more than once.

 A total of 93,873 people have now tested positive in the UK.

The toll was updated today after England recorded another 744 deaths. Scotland reported 40 deaths, while 19 were recorded in Wales and 10 in Northern Ireland. The combined figure from the four nations comes to 813, which is higher than the number – 778 – later released by the DoH this afternoon. The government has said this difference is because each devolved authority often makes amendments to their own data after reporting deaths to the DoH each day.

Unlike the daily data published by the government that show only deaths in hospitals, figures  from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) include deaths in the community, such as at nursing homes. The ONS figures confirmed 406 people with coronavirus died outside hospitals in England and Wales in the week up to April 3, Metro daily writes.

International Monetary Fund approves immediate debt relief (IDF) for 25 countries including Nepal

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London –  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive board has approved immediate debt relief for 25 countries including Afghanistan and Nepal.

In a statemetn issued on Monday, Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, said, “I am pleased to say that our Executive Board approved immediate debt service relief to 25 of the IMF’s member countries under the IMF’s revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) as part of the Fund’s response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts,” she added.

The CCRT can currently provide about US$500 million in grant-based debt service relief, including the recent US$185 million pledge by the U.K. and US$100 million provided by Japan as immediately available resources. Others, including China and the Netherlands, are also stepping forward with significant contributions.

“I urge other donors to help us replenish the Trust’s resources and boost further our ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to our poorest member countries,” said Ms Georgieva.

The countries that will receive debt service include Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, D.R., The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo, and Yemen.

Statement from the MD of IMF : 

April 13, 2020

Washington, DC – Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued the following statement:

“Today, I am pleased to say that our Executive Board approved immediate debt service relief to 25 of the IMF’s member countries under the IMF’s revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) as part of the Fund’s response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts.

“The CCRT can currently provide about US$500 million in grant-based debt service relief, including the recent US$185 million pledge by the U.K. and US$100 million provided by Japan as immediately available resources. Others, including China and the Netherlands, are also stepping forward with important contributions. I urge other donors to help us replenish the Trust’s resources and boost further our ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to our poorest member countries.”

The countries that will receive debt service relief today are: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, D.R., The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo, and Yemen.

IMF Communications Department

India extends lockdown till 3rd May amid corona scare

Posted on by SAT News Desk

London – The  Indian government has decided to extend the nationwide lockdown until at least May 3 in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus infection.

In a televised address on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “From the economic angle, we have paid a big price. But the lives of the people of India are far more valuable.”

Mr Modi had imposed nationwide lockdown on 24th of March bringing the country of 1.3 billion people to a halt.

The decision resulted into exodus of thousands of people – migrant workers in big cities heading towards their villages—on foot. Some of them died on the road.

Prime Minister Modi said some restrictions would be eased on April 20 to help poor people dependent upon daily wages.

“Till April 20, we will monitor how well the districts are doing. In places where the situation is improving, few relaxations will be made,” said Mr Modi in his fourth address to the nation in one month.

He, however, did not reveal an economic plan or package for the country despite repeated pleas from chief ministers for urgent measures that could help states tide over the current gloom, Indian Express newspaper reported.

The Indian PM’s latest announcement came as covid-19 confirmed cases in India rose to more than 10,000 and nearly 340 deaths.

Neighbouring Pakistan and Nepal are also expected to extend their nationwide lockdown this week.

The World Bank has said economic growth in India and other South Asian countries is likely to be the slowest for four decades this year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Lock down, restrictions ahead

Modi added a list of recommendations to the public:

1. Take care of the elderly at your home, especially those with pre-existing health conditions.

2. Comply with the lock down restrictions

3. Strengthen your immunity and take care of yourself by wearing masks, even home-made ones

4. Use the app ‘Aarogya Setu- the app was created by the Indian government to connect public with essential health services

5. Help those who are poor around you and can’t lafford the same care, essentials as every one else

6. Don’t lay off employees now

The South Asian nation reports more than 10,000 cases and nearly 340 deaths till now.

South Asia Could See Worst Economic Performance in 40 Years: World Bank

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NEW DELHI: South Asia is on course for its worst economic performance in 40 years, with decades of progress in the battle against poverty at risk, because of coronavirus, the World Bank said Sunday.

India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other smaller nations, which have 1.8 billion people and some of the planet’s most densely populated cities, have so far reported relatively few coronavirus cases but experts fear they could be the next hotspots.

The dire economic effects are already much in evidence, with widespread lockdowns freezing most normal activity, Western factory orders canceled and vast numbers of poor workers suddenly jobless, Ther Reuters reports.

“South Asia finds itself in a perfect storm of adverse effects. Tourism has dried up, supply chains have been disrupted, demand for garments has collapsed and consumer and investor sentiments have deteriorated,” said a World Bank report.

It slashed its growth forecast for the region this year to 1.8-2.8% from its pre-pandemic projection of 6.3%, with at least half the countries falling into “deep recession”.

Worst hit will be the Maldives where the collapse of tourism will result in gross domestic output contracting by as much as 13%, while Afghanistan could shrink by as much as 5.9% and Pakistan by up to 2.2%.

Regional heavyweight India, where the fiscal year began on April 1, will see growth of just 1.5-2.8% in its current financial year, down from an expected 4.8-5.0% for the year just ended, the bank predicted.

– Inequality –

The report also warned that the pandemic will reinforce inequality in the region, with the pandemic hitting informal workers with limited or no access to healthcare or social safety the hardest.

In India for instance, the world’s biggest lockdown has prompted hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to return to their home villages, many on foot.

Governments need to “ramp up action to curb the health emergency, protect their people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, and set the stage now for fast economic recovery,” the World Bank said.

In the short term this means preparing weak healthcare systems, providing safety nets and securing access to food, medical supplies and necessities for the most vulnerable, it advised.

It recommended temporary work programmes for migrant workers, debt relief for business and individuals and cutting red tape on imports and exports of essential goods.

And once the crisis is over, governments need urgently to pursue “innovative policies” and jumpstart economies.

“Failure to do so can lead to long-term growth disruptions and reverse hard-won progress in reducing poverty,” the bank’s Hartwig Schafer said.

The World Bank is taking “broad, fast action”, deploying up to $160 billion in financial support over the next 15 months to help countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery.

Nepali New Year 2077 BS Being Marked Across The Country Today

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RSS, Kathmandu —    The Nepali New Year 2077 BS is being marked today by exchanging greetings of the best wishes across the country.
Also called ‘Mesh Sankranti’ or ‘Baisakh Sankranti’, today the Sun enters into the Aries from the Pisces.
The first day of the Year 2077 BS, this is the day for everyone to plan for future with firm determination by evaluating the success and failures of the past year.

Though people used to celebrate the festival reaching to temples and visiting touristic destinations with nearest and dearest ones, this year all are compelled to stay at home owing the threat of deadly COVID-19 pandemic. This year, all will celebrate the New Year staying at home after the government stay at home order as a measure to fight the coronavirus.
Panchanga based on the traditional Hindu and Vedic astrological tabulation forecasts celestial phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses. The Bikram Sambat is 57 years 8 month and 15 days ahead of the Gregorian Calendar.

According to Prof Dr Ram Chandra Gautam, Chairman of Calendar Determination Committee, the Pramadi named Sambatsar has begun recently and it is the 47th one among the 60 Sambatsar in Nepali calendar.
As per the mythology, Bikram Sambat is believed to have been started by King Bikramaditya.