At least 19 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past one week.

According to officials at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, most of the people tested positive for the virus are those who returned from India. Some are also locals from the Kathmandu valley.

“One patient has been admitted to a hospital in Kathmandu due to complications,” said an official at the division on the condition of anonymity, as he is not authorised to speak publicly about the cases. “The infected patient is recuperating now.”

Nepal confirmed new coronavirus cases on May 4, when three people—two males and a female—returned from India, tested positive for Covid-19. Health officials say that rapid diagnostic testing is being carried out only on those having coronavirus-like symptoms—fever, cough, sore throat, among others.

Testing is not being carried out on asymptomatic people, who might be infected. Some might have come in the incubation period, but no agency in the country traces their movements.

Health workers say that they have asked the infected people to remain in isolation for five days and let them go home from the border entry points.

Of late, India has been witnessing a spike in coronavirus cases. On Wednesday, the southern neighbour reported three coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours and the active case tally rose to 7,154, according to media reports.

India has also confirmed the emergence of four new sub-variants of Omicron—NB.1.8.1 and LF.7, XFG and JN.1.

Along with India, several other countries including Singapore, Thailand, China (Hong Kong), and the US have also reported a surge in coronavirus cases.

The World Health Organisation has classified NB.1.8.1 subvariant as a variant under monitoring. The UN health body said that the additional public health risk posed by NB.1.8.1 is evaluated as low at the global level as per the available evidence.

Experts in Nepal say that even if the new variant of coronavirus is mild, elderly people and those with underlying conditions remain at risk of developing severe symptoms.

They had earlier warned that the Covid could enter the country at any time due to geographic proximity with, and the movement of people, from countries that are seeing a spike in infections. The country in the past witnessed Covid outbreaks shortly after cases shot up in other countries.

Meanwhile, health officials say they have supplied 600 rapid diagnostic test kits in the districts having border crossings with India. They say that they have also started a process to procure 20,000 rapid diagnostic test kits and requested the World Health Organisation Nepal office for rapid diagnostic test kits.

Public health experts say a Covid outbreak could hit Nepal soon, as cases are sharply rising in neighbouring India. In the past, it has usually taken two to three weeks for the virus to spread to Nepal after a surge in India.

They have called on health authorities to step up surveillance measures, including testing patients with influenza-like symptoms. The public, they say, should return to the basics—wearing face masks, washing hands and avoiding crowds to cut down on infection risk.