Oxygen manufacturers say demand has gone up four times their production capacity. China has given 3,500 cylinders as a grant but they will take three weeks to arrive.

Officials fail to heed the fundamentals like increasing contact tracing and testing as they see lockdowns as only option.

Experts say prohibitory orders can slow the spread of the coronavirus but until there are other measures simultaneously in place, a let-up in the surge is unlikely.

Country records highest daily coronavirus death toll and new cases. Oli’s chest-thumping and false claims continue as vaccine supply is nowhere in sight. 47 percent of total tests return positive results.

Frontline health workers at both public and private hospitals were prioritised for Covid-19 vaccines so that they would work to save lives. Private hospitals cannot shirk their responsibilities, say experts.

Such tests at border points could have been helpful but they were few and far between, experts say.

Doctors say increasing number of beds and keeping an eye on possible hoarding of oxygen cylinders, as well as expanding testing, should be immediate priority.

The country's health system cracks as coronavirus cases surge, crossing the 5,000 mark.

Positivity rate continues to be high which means either there is not enough testing or infection is very widespread in society. On Thursday, it was 38 percent.

Children usually respond to regular medications, but rush them to hospital if symptoms, which resemble those of a typical viral infection, continue or fever does not come down, doctors say.

Delivery of vaccines from India remains uncertain. Officials say funding is no issue but are hesitating to go for Chinese and Russian vaccines because of their high prices.

Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, on the virus situation and what authorities at various levels must do to contain its spread.

No contact tracing even as the number of active cases crosses the 20,000 mark. Country reports 3,442 new cases and 12 deaths.

Doctors stress restrictions on mobility to flatten the curve, which has been going up in an unpredictable way, as the country reports over 3,000 new cases and 28 deaths.

With only seriously ill cases coming for treatment, doctors say that the virus is much more widespread than daily infection data shows and the next two months will be critical.