Rethinking Nepal's local health infrastructure in light of Covid-19

Key Insights

• Nepali local governments with relatively higher Covid-induced health burdens—measured by Covid-19 caseloads, number of returnee migrants, and quarantine center overload—do not report higher rates of testing and tracing.
• By contrast, health capacity is positively correlated with local governments’ testing and tracing activities. Health capacity is measured by a standardized health index capturing nine indicators on health staff, infrastructure and planning capacities.