BAJURA, JUNE 8
Cases of COVID infection have gone up dramatically in all nine local levels of Bajura, overwhelming the heath facilities in the district.
It is very difficult to carry out tests and treat patients in the local health facilities amid the rapidly increasing cases of the virus in rural areas. The district does not have enough health facilities and the available health facilities are treating patients at full capacity.
Due to lack of space, COVID patients are being treated on the floor and even on stretchers at Dahakot Health Post of Gaumul Rural Municipality.
As many as 18 people have been infected with the virus in the surroundings of the health post.
Health post In-charge Dharma Khatri said that the infected had been told to stay in home isolation and seek medical help only in case they experienced difficulty in breathing. He said that the patients were referred to the COVID hospital if they developed severe complications.
Health workers said that many people with COVID-19 like symptoms did not get themselves tested due to fear of testing positive for the virus, thus the number shown on paper might be way less than the real figure. They added that it was very difficult to convince people to go for COV- ID tests.
Acting Chief Administrative Officer Raj Bahadur Bhandari at Himali Rural Municipality said that it takes two days to reach the hospital from their home.
According to Bajura Health Office, as many as 12 people have already died due to COVID in the district. Of them, three died in home isolation. Two from Himali Rural Municipality and one from Jagannath Rural Municipality died at home.
Chief of Bajura Health Office Daya Krishna Panta said that the virus had spread in all the villages of Bajura. Of the 1,721 swab samples, 679 tested positive today.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 9, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
