Nepal has witnessed 191,636 COVID-19 infections since Jan 23; 2,753 added on Saturday

Of the 35,435 active patients of COVID-19 across the country, Kathmandu district alone has 15,455 

KATHMANDU, Nov 7: The total number of COVID-19 patients in Nepal is inching closer to 200,000 with 2,753 other people being diagnosed with the viral infection that originated from China in December last year. 

Since the country confirmed the first ever case on January 23 earlier this year, the case tally has reached 191,636. The number also  includes 1,087 deaths due to this infection. The country first reported the COVID-19 related fatality on May 16. A 29-year-old woman from Sindhupalchowk was the first to be claimed by this virus in the country. 

As the government decided not to bear the cost of PCR tests and treatment for the COVID-19 patients, the number of daily tests for the confirmation of the infection has significantly dropped down. Only 10,423 PCR tests were carried out in 70 different COVID-19 labs around the country in the past 24 hours. The total number of tests stands at 1,527,766. 

The COVID-19 updates released by the Ministry of Health and Population on Saturday reveal that 81 percent of the confirmed patients have got over the disease. Saturday’s data confirms 2,206 other recoveries taking the total number of recoveries to 155,114. 

Of the cases confirmed in the country, 67 percent -- 127,967 -- are males. 

The Kathmandu Valley, which has turned into a COVID-19 hotspot in the country following the government decision to lift the four-month nationwide lockdown on July 21, added 1,512 cases --- 887 males and 625 females --- in the past 24 hours. 

The Valley, where also lies the country’s capital city, now has a total of 18,862 active cases. The number of COVID-19 deaths in the densely populated city in the country hit 406 of which 270 have been reported from Kathmandu district, one of the tree districts in the Valley.