Senior citizen tests positive for COVID-19 antibodies in Gulmi, dies

BHAIRAHAWA: A 69-year-old man who tested positive for antibodies in rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) died in Chhatrakot Rural Municipality-5 of Gulmi district on Friday.

According to chairperson of the rural municipality, Madhukrishna Pantha, the man had been suffering from paralysis. He arrived in his home village, about 12 days ago, from Mumbai, India, where he had been receiving treatment, he said. The man had been staying in a home quarantine upon his arrival from India.

It has been reported that one of the family members who accompanied the man from India to Nepal has also tested positive for COVID antibodies, while others from the same family tested negative, Pantha informed.

Meanwhile, the local health authorities have been awaiting the report of swab specimen collected from the deceased senior citizen and his family members. The swabs were sent to the Province Public Health Laboratory for COVID-19 test using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

The kin of the deceased were preparing for the last rites, it has been learnt.