Nepal government issues third wave warning as COVID-19 cases continue to rise

KATHMANDU: Nepal on Thursday warned the people against the third wave of COVID-19 as the Himalayan nation is witnessing a surge in infection cases in recent days. Issuing a notice, the Ministry of Health appealed to the public to adopt safety protocols stating the third wave is evident as the number of new cases has continued to rise sharply.

"Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Kaski, Rupandehi and Kailali are among the districts with more than 500 active cases of COVID-19 each. Likewise, there are more than 26 districts with more than 200 active cases each. The number of these districts has risen in recent days. All the authorities concerned should stand together and prevent the spread of COVID-19," the release stated.

With warning calls, the ministry, which is yet to get a minister to look after, has urged hospitals and other health institutions to stay ready and equipped.

"People are seen violating health protocols imposed to control the infection, hence the outbreak has not been controlled as much as it should have been. Citizens should follow the protocols even when they go to the Covid-19 vaccination centres," the release added.

On Thursday alone, Nepal recorded a total of 2714 new cases of infection. A total of 1,855 tests were done through the RT-PCR method while 859 tested positive through the Antigen method. According to the Ministry, 536 persons in Kathmandu, 130 in Lalitpur, and 85 in Bhaktapur have been tested positive for COVID-19, making the capital valley's fresh coronavirus cases 751 in the past 24 hours.

According to the ministry, 24 people have succumbed to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, 1,288 persons have returned home after a complete health recovery from COVID-19.