KATHMANDU, MAY 25

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has decided to conduct mass antigen tests given the increasing number of COVID-19 infection in the metropolis.

KMC has prepared to carry out antigen tests of 50,000 people in five days starting from May 28.

The city office will collect swab sample through antigen method from 10 centres every day for the test.

According to Hari Bahadur Kunwar, Chief of KMC Public Health Department, there would be a collaboration of the office with Epidemiology and Disease Control Division for the same.

Kunwar further shared that as the result of the tests through antigen would be received immediately, it would help separate COVID-19 positive in the community for isolation and for further test amid the surging COVID-19 infection every day in KMC in the recent period.

The KMC is going to start this practice to break the contact chain from a new variant of COVID-19 infection.

Case Investigation and Contact Tracing groups formed in the wards would be made active for the tests.

The tests would be carried out on those showing COVID-19 symptoms, those included in contact tracing, frontline workers, those working during the prohibition and people at high risk, as the targeted groups.

Two testing centres would be set up each in 15 wards that have larger areas while one testing centre each in remaining 17 wards of KMC.

The Department said more centres could be added as per requirement.

Earlier, KMC had conducted this type of testing at the Kalimati Vegetables and Fruits Market and Tukucha Vegetable Market.

So far the number of infected persons in KMC is 58,402. Of them, 46,546 have recovered while 403 have died.

The number of active infection cases is 11,546. PCR test of 600 persons is carried out daily at the 32 wards of the KMC at present and of them, more than 400 have been testing positive for coronavirus infection, the KMC Public Health Division said.

The KMC has been carrying out PCR tests setting up 16 testing centres since last Sunday following the surge in infection cases.