Nepal reported 2,020 new coronavirus infections, the highest single-day spike so far, and seven Covid-19-related deaths on Friday.
With this, the national infection tally has reached 61,593 while the death toll stands at 390.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population, the active case count stands at 17,383. So far, 43,820 individuals have made successful recovery—871 of them in the past 24 hours.
The Kathmandu Valley recorded the highest daily coronavirus cases with 859 new infections. Of them, 698 were confirmed in Kathmandu, 82 in Bhaktapur and 79 in Lalitpur districts. As of Friday, the number of cases in the Valley has reached 15,138. A total of 12,640 cases have been detected after district administrators of the Valley imposed prohibitory orders starting August 19 midnight.
The restrictions were extended last week again, but with relaxations on some sectors, allowing shops and businesses to operate on different days of the week for certain periods. From Thursday, the government has lifted the restrictions on long-haul transportation as well, but by allowing only one passenger in one row of seats on either side. The operators, however, can charge 50 percent extra in bus fare.
Five men and two women died of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry's Covid-19 press release. Among the deceased, two men aged 66 years were from Morang while the other three men aged 88, 82 and 31 were from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Nawalparasi (West) districts respectively. The two women aged 85 and 66 years who succumbed to the disease in the past 24 hours were from Kathmandu and Lalitpur.
The country has seen 43,599 infections and 350 deaths since July 22. There were 17,994 cases and 40 Covid-19-related deaths until July 21, when the government decided to end the nationwide lockdown after four months.
According to the ministry, 133 individuals from Bagmati Province, 117 from Province 2, 56 from Province 5, 43 from Province 1, 25 from Gandaki Province, 11 from Sudurpaschim Province, and five from Karnali Province have died of Covid-19 so far.
As of Friday, the government has carried out 894,373 PCR tests across the country.
“A total of 11,458 PCR tests were performed in the past 24 hours,” Dr Jageshwar Gautam, spokesperson for the ministry, said during a regular press briefing.
In the past 24 hours, 698 individuals in Kathmandu, 191 in Chitwan, 118 in Morang, 117 in Surkhet, 86 each in Kaski and Rupandehi, 82 in Bhaktapur, 79 in Lalitpur, 78 in Bara, 58 in Sunsari, 45 in Saptari, 41 in Nawalparasi (West), 39 in Nawalparasi (East), 30 in Makwanpur, 24 in Dang, 23 in Rukum (West), 19 in Siraha, 18 in Bardiya, 17 each in Parsa and Kailali, 16 in Achham, 14 in Dhading, 12 in Gorkha, tested positive for the coronavirus infection.
Infections were also recorded in nine people each in Dhanusha, Arghakhanchi and Rolpa, seven in Kanchanpur, six each in Jhapa, Rautahat, Kavre, Nuwakot, Ramechhap, Lamjung, Kapilvastu and Gulmi, five in Tanahun, three each in Sindhupalchok, Palpa, and Bajura districts.
Likewise, two persons each in Udayapur, Bhojpur, Sarlahi, Banke and Baitadi, and one each in Okhaldhunga, Dolakha, Pyuthan, Dailekh, Doti and Bajhang also tested positive for the virus.
“Nine districts—Morang, Sunsari, Siraha, Kathmandu, Chitwan, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Makwanpur and Rupandehi—have more than 500 active cases,” Gautam said. “Six districts—Solukhumbu, Rasuwa, Mustang, Dolpa, Mugu and Humla—don’t have any active cases.”
“As of Friday, 173 Covid-19 patients are being treated in intensive care units across the country and 36 patients—34 in Bagmati, and one each in Province 1 and Province 5—are on ventilator support.”
5.12°C Kathmandu
