Hospitalization of increasing COVID-19 patients seen in Nepal amid COVID-19 resurgence

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, April 14, 2021
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KATHMANDU, April 14 (Xinhua)-- Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases recently in Nepal, an infectious disease hospital based in the capital Kathmandu has once again fully become a dedicated COVID-19 hospital from Tuesday.

Administration of the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital made such a decision citing an increasing number of patients being admitted over the last two weeks.

It had been the first of hospitals converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital in the Himalayan country last year.

"Currently, 22-23 COVID-19 patients have been admitted at our hospital, up from 2-4 patients just two weeks ago," Sagar Kumar Rajbhandari, director of the hospital, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The hospital currently has 60 beds for accommodating the coronavirus patients.

Nepal has seen a rapid rise in coronavirus infections recently. The government on Tuesday reported 517 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, compared to 47 cases recorded for a single day on March 6, and 554 cases on Jan. 8.

On Monday, the number of daily COVID-19 cases stood at 559, passing the 500-mark for the first time in four months.

According to Nepali officials, cases detected over recent days were mostly caused by the more infectious coronavirus variant first reported in Britain in December 2020.

"Both infection rate and mortality rate of the new coronavirus strain is high," Samir Kumar Adhikari, joint spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Population told Xinhua on Monday.

Amid the worsening situation of COVID-19, hospitals in Nepal are receiving more coronavirus patients.

"Just 10 days ago, we had 2-3 COVID-19 patients admitted in our hospital," Santa Kumar Das, chief of the COVID-19 management committee at the Kathmandu-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, said. "Now, 24 beds are occupied by coronavirus patients."

The hospital has currently prepared 60 beds for coronavirus patients. "When coronavirus cases were decreasing until recently, we had allocated just nine beds for COVID-19 patients," said Das.

Nepal's vaccination drive, which was launched in late January, is still in its first phase, with about 1.85 million people having so far received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and currently with the vaccines donated by China being in use.

The Nepali government announced on Tuesday that the administering of second vaccine doses will start from April 20 for health workers, sanitation workers, security personnel, journalists, diplomats and staff of diplomatic offices among other people in the priority groups. Enditem

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