• Were in close contact with Udayapur COVID cases
• Udayapur linked to 27 of 45 cases in Nepal

Kathmandu, April 22 Three persons tested positive for COVID-19 today, taking the nationwide tally of coronavirus transmission to 45. All three are men, one Indian aged 24 and two others aged 60 and 72 years from Biratnagar. “They were in close contact with those living in Nuri Mosque in Udayapur district,” said Bikash Sah, assistant director at BPKIHS. “Their throat swabs were tested using polymerase chain reaction method in BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences,” said Bikash Devkota, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, during a media briefing today. “The trio had been under quarantine in Biratnagar since 12 people living in Nuri mosque in Udayapur district tested positive. They were admitted to the isolation ward of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences on Monday night. Their samples were collected yesterday. The samples tested positive today. BPKIHS has a capacity to test 48 samples a day,” said Sah. The trio, who are asymptomatic, have been sent to Corona Special Hospital in Biratnagar for treatment. “Although they do not have any symptoms of COV- ID-19, their viral load is quite high. Such people are highly likely to transmit the infection to others,” said Sah. Udayapur has emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus disease after 13 people residing in Nuri mosque in the district tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Twelve of them are Indians, while one is a Nepali national. Yesterday 11 cases of COVID-19 were detected in the district. A version of this article appears in e-paper on April 23, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.