COVID-19 confirmed in youth who died by suicide in Dailekh

Surkhet, June 25

COVID-19 has been confirmed in a youth who died by suicide in Dailekh yesterday.

The 21-year-old youth of Chhuwala, Dullu Municipality, was found hanging at his home.

According to Dullu Municipality Mayor Ghanashyam Bhandari, the infection was confirmed following a PCR test conducted in Surkhet on a swab sample collected from his body that was taken to Dullu Hospital for post-mortem.

“As doctors at the hospital said they would conduct post-mortem only after the swab from the body was tested for COVID-19, the sample was collected and sent to Surkhet for test. The report that came out today showed him positive for the virus,” said Bhandari.

Further, according to the mayor, after returning from India on May 24 the youth had stayed in quarantine at the local Panchakoshi Secondary School of Gamaudi for 14 days. After 211 persons, including him, at the quarantine tested negative in the RDT, they were sent home.

“They were sent home as their RDT results came negative.

Later we heard about his death. Now a PCR test conducted on a swab sample taken from the body has shown him positive for the virus,” said Bhandari. He added that a search for the persons who had stayed in quarantine with him and others who might have come in contact with him is under way.

Earlier, two COVID-19 infected persons had died due to infection in the district.

Meanwhile, all but emergency services at the Karnali Provincial Hospital have been closed after nine doctors and health workers at the hospital tested positive for COVID-19.

“We’ve closed services other than emergency for a few days to prevent any possible contraction of the virus after doctors and health workers tested positive for the virus,” said the hospital director Dambar Khadka.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 26, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.