COVID-19 spreading in Kapilvastu, 15 cases so far

Published On: May 11, 2020 01:57 PM NPT By: Kiran Man Bajracharya

KAPILVASTU, May 11: Kapilvastu district alone has 15 cases of COVID-19 now, following the confirmation of 10 new cases on Monday by the Ministry of Health and Population.

The 10 new patients are from Yashodhara Rural Municipality (eight) and Buddha Bhumi Municipality (two). All of them are India-returnees.

According to the District Health Office, Kapilvastu, eight patients are from Ward 5, Baiduli, of Yashodhara Rural Municipality. They were staying at a quarantine facility set up at the Baidauli-based Anirudra Public Secondary School. Two patients each of 20 years of age, and other patients of 18, 24, 34, 31 and 30 years of age were diagnosed with the deadly disease while the age of one patient is yet to be ascertained.

Similarly, a 19-year-old male from Buddha Bhumi Municipality-10 and another 34-year-old man of Ward 7 of the same municipality were also found to have been infected by novel coronavirus.

Swab samples of 290 suspected patients from the three local units in the district were sent to the Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) three days ago. “Of them, NPHL sent the lab reports of 99 people,” said Yogendra Bhagat, chief of the health office. Earlier, five patients were diagnosed with the disease out of 163 persons whose samples were Tested.

“As we have reported new cases, we will expedite contact tracing now,” Bhagat told Republica Online.

Kapilvastu district is on high alert after a high number of COVID-19 patients have been reported there, according to Chief District Officer Dirgha Narayan Poudel. He also added that the newly-confirmed patients and all other India-returnees have been kept at quarantine facilities. “Ten new patients will be sent to the Butwal-based COVID-19 hospital,” Poudel said.

Earlier, five patients had tested positive for this virus - four from Mayadevi Rural Municipality and one from Shuddhodhan Rural Municipality.

Of the 120 confirmed cases in Nepal, Province 5 alone has 40 patients - 24 in Banke, 15 in Kapilvastu and one in Rupandehi.

As COVID-19 cases keep on rising, the locals are terrorized. More than 1,900 Nepalis returning from India have been left stranded at the Nepal-India border.