Nepal beats own record in Covid-19 cases and deaths

Nepal’s first Covid-19 fatality was reported on 15 May. It then took three months for the country to hit its first 100 deaths on 16 August. After that it took just 14 days to register its second 100 fatalities.

Sunday was the worst day on record for both new cases and deaths in Nepal. The Ministry of Health announced 14 patients had died overnight, the highest in a single day, and bringing the total to 221.

There have been 61 fatalities due to the novel coronavirus across the country in the past week alone, with 12 each on Friday and Saturday.

The number of confirmed cases are also rising dramatically. The 1,221 new infections detected nationwide on Sunday was also a record – the fourth day in a row with totals hovering around one thousand.

This has brought the total number of confirmed cases to 38,561. So far, 20,822 people have recovered, and of the active cases, 16,578 are undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the country and 6,906 individuals are in home isolation across seven provinces. 

Kathmandu Valley also broke its record on Sunday with 429 new cases, bringing the total to 4,447. Kathmandu Valley and most of Nepal’s 77 districts have been under strict lockdown for 12 days now, and yet the cases have been rising.

Experts say this is a worrying sign that the virus is now spreading in the community. Unlike in April-May when most new cases were asymptomatic, more and more patients are being admitted into hospitals with symptoms, and needing intensive care. 

A total of 141 people are in ICU across Nepal, with 17 of them in ventilator support. Bagmati Province has the most seriously sick with 70 in ICU and 12 in ventilators. The recovery rate has also gradually declined from 73% in July to 55% now.

Men account for 74% of deaths and people between 41-70 years are most susceptible with 122 deaths. The highest numbers of dead are in the 41-50 age group, unlike in developed countries where SARS-CoV-2 was killing far higher percentages of older people.

The new pattern is that younger people are now transferring the virus to older family members at home, and this is the reason for the higher numbers of patients with severe symptoms, doctors say.

Back in May Nepal registered its first fatality of a 29-years-old new mother from Barabise, Sindhupalchok who had given birth to a premature baby boy in Kathmandu’s Teaching hospital. At that time, there were only a total of 281 Covid-19 cases in Nepal.