Kathmandu, May 22

The total number of people who have contracted the novel coronavirus disease in Nepal crossed 500 today, with 59 new cases of the respiratory contagion having been diagnosed today.

The nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 24 when the second case of COVID-19 was detected in the country. The aim was to check the spread of coronavirus. However, after 60 days of the nationwide lockdown, the disease has spread to at least 40 districts and the total number of cases diagnosed so far in Nepal has reached 516.

Fifty-nine people whose swab samples tested positive for the virus today include 15 from Sarlahi, 14 from Banke, nine from Kapilvastu, six from Bara, three from Kailali, three from Nawalparasi-west and two from Chitwan.

The 15 cases diagnosed in Sarlahi include an 18-year-old woman, while others are men between the ages of 22 and 39 years. Men are from wards 8, 9, 11, 13 and 14 of Godaita Municipality, while the teenager is from ward 7 of Bahuarwa Rural Municipality.

In Banke, 14 men aged between 18 and 61 years have contracted the disease. Of them, 13 are from Narainapur and one from Rapti Sonari Municipality.

The nine COVID-positive cases in Kapilvastu include an eight-year-old girl from Mayadevi Rural Municipality and eight men aged between 24 and 53 years from Banganga Municipality.

Three men aged 19, 23 and 26 years, residing in quarantine in Saraswoti Secondary School in Janaki Rural Municipality of Kailali have also tested positive.

In Nawalparasi, two men aged 33 and 35 years from ward 5 of Susta Rural Municipality and a 15-year-old girl from ward 3 of Ramgram Municipality have also been diagnosed with the respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Two elderly people — a woman, 73, and a man, 74, from ward 6 of Kesarbagh, Bharatpur Metropolitan

City, Chitwan — have also tested positive.

Others diagnosed with the neo-coronavirus include a man, 41, from ward 2 of Ratuwamai, Morang, a man, 28, from ward 10 of Parshuram, Dadeldhura, a 22-year-old man from ward 1 of Shivanath, Baitadi, a man, 45, from ward 6 of Binay Triveni Rural Municipality, Nawalparasi-east, a 54-year-old woman from Makawanpur, a 42-year-old woman from Bhaktapur and a 35-year-old man from Saptari.

The samples that tested positive were screened for the virus in the Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory, Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan, Seti Provincial Hospital in Dhangadi, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan,Vector-borne Disease Research and Training Centre in Hetauda and

Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj using polymerase chain reaction method.

Meanwhile, 21 persons undergoing treatment at Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital in Banke were discharged from the hospital today.

Nine of those who recovered today are females. “A one-year-old baby is among those who have recovered. Patients spent between 17 and 20 days in the hospital,” said Bikash Devkota during a media briefing today.

Of those diagnosed with the respiratory contagion in Nepal so far, 433 are male and 74 female.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 23, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.