COVID-19 cases on the rise in Nepal post-lockdown

The COVID-19 cases have spiked staggeringly since the lifting of the lockdown. The result of the tests conducted eight days before and eight days after the lockdown has shown that the infection has risen alarmingly.

Among a total of 32,457 of sample tests conducted eight days before the lockdown, 1,049 tested positive for COVID-19. Likewise, out of 34,109 sample tests conducted eight days after the lockdown, 1,279 resulted in positive for the flu-like infection.

The rise rate for the infection reached 3.7 percent from 3 per cent in eight days, according to the Ministry of Health and Population. Ministry’s Spokesperson Prof Dr Jageshwor Gautam, in a routine press conference of the Ministry here today, urged one and all to take necessary precautions against the deadly infection although post lockdown has led us to a new normal.

In the last 24 hours, 6,037 sample tests were conducted in 29 labs across the country out of which 210 new COVID-19 cases were reported, informed Gautam. Doti district saw the highest new cases of COVID-19, standing at 52, followed by Parsa at 34. In Kathmandu, 14 new cases were confirmed. He shared that the number of active infection stands at 5,203 while 14,471 were in quarantine facilities.

Among the total infected ones, 72.7 percent (14,021) have been recovered and discharged from hospital. Similarly, the number of COVID-19 patients across the world stands at 16,917,714. A total of 663,942 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 so far across the world, Gautam said.