Nepal on Thursday reported 17 Covid-19-related deaths, the highest number of fatalities in a single day so far, taking the coronavirus death toll to 453. The country also recorded 1,497 new infections in the past 24 hours.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population, the country’s coronavirus tally has reached 69,301 with 18,437 active cases.
The Health Ministry has decided to recommend the government to enforce a nation-wide lockdown again if the number of active cases crossed the 25,000 mark, though public health experts have time and again asserted that restrictions are not a solution to the contagion and that the authorities must strengthen its testing, tracing and isolating capacity instead.
Twelve men and five women died of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.
Among the deceased, three men aged 75, 79 and 80 years and an 82-year-old woman were from Kathmandu, two men aged 68 and 70 were from Dhanusha, and a 73-year-old woman and an 84-year-old man were from Bhaktapur.
Three other women aged 55, 81 and 32 from Morang, Sunsari and Dhading and six men aged 78, 65, 39, 39, 50 and 55 from Jhapa, Rautahat, Tanahun, Dang , Kapilvastu and Nawalparasi (West) districts also succumbed to the disease.
So far, 50,411 individuals have made successful recovery—457 of them in the past 24 hours.
The Kathmandu Valley recorded 755 new infections in the past 24 hours. Of them, 609 were confirmed in Kathmandu, 95 in Lalitpur and 51 in Bhaktapur.
As of Thursday, the number of cases in the Valley has reached 19,329. A total of 16,831 cases were detected after the three district administration offices in Kathmandu Valley imposed prohibitory orders starting August 19 midnight.
The country has seen 51,307 infections and 413 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, 168 individuals from Bagmati Province, 125 from Province 2, 68 from Province 5, 50 from Province 1, 26 from Gandaki Province, 11 from Sudurpaschim Province, and five from Karnali Province have died of Covid-19 so far.
As of Thursday, the government has carried out 955,923 PCR tests across the country.
“A total of 11,449 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, 609 individuals in Kathmandu, 137 in Chitwan, 95 in Lalitpur, 86 in Rupandehi, 73 in Morang, 53 in Banke, 51 in Bhaktapur, 45 in Kailali, 24 in Bardiya, 23 each in Parsa and Siraha, 21 in Makwanpur, 17 in Tanahun, 16 in Saptari, 14 each in Nawalparasi (East) and Nawalparasi (West), 13 in Sunsari, 12 each in Okhaldhunga, Kavre and Baglung, and 10 each in Dhanusha and Baitadi, tested positive for the coronavirus infection.
Infections were also recorded in nine people in Gorkha and Dang, eight each in Nuwakot, Kaski and Syangja, six each in Bara, Parbat and Pyuthan, five in Sindhuli, four each in Jhapa, Mahottari, Rautahat, Dhading, Gulmi, Palpa, Salyan, Kanchanpur and Doti, and three each in Sankhuwasabha, Dolakha, Arghakhanchi and Surkhet.
Likewise, two persons each in Udayapur, Lamjung, Kapilvastu and Dailekh, and one each in Bhojpur, Sarlahi, Ramechhap, Achham, Dadeldhura and Darchula also tested positive for the virus.
“Seven districts—Morang, Siraha, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Chitwan 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 Thursday, 232 Covid-19 patients are being treated in intensive care units across the country and 28 patients—26 in Bagmati and two in Province 1—are on ventilator support.”
Nepal on Wednesday reported 1,172 new infections and seven Covid-19-related deaths compared to 1,356 new infections and two Covid-19-related deaths on Tuesday and 16 deaths, the highest number of fatalities in a single day so far, and 1,154 new infections on Monday.
5.12°C Kathmandu
