Ten Covid deaths in the last 24 hours

Ten people have lost their lives due to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, marking the highest death toll for a single day. The total number of Covid deaths in Nepal is now at 93.

Dr Jageswhor Gautam, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, reported eight deaths during a regular press briefing, while two more deaths were reported shortly after. They have, therefore, not been included in the official count, which is currently at 91. 

The deceased included patients from Kathmandu, Dhading, Dhanusha, Saptari, Morang, Kapilvastu, Bara and Mahottari and were receiving treatment in hospitals across the country. Of the total of 10,481 PCR tests conducted in the country in the last 24 hours, 484 came positive. Of these, 138 cases were detected in Kathmandu Valley, with 111 in Kathmandu District, 19 in Lalitpur and eight in Bhaktapur.

As of Wednesday, Nepal has had 24,432 coronavirus cases whereas 16,728 patients have recovered from the diseases. According to Gautam, 14,846 people are still being held in quarantine facilities on suspicion of coronavirus. 

Covid cases have increased significantly since Nepal eased a four-month-long nationwide lockdown in the last week of July. All corona-designated hospitals in Kathmandu are now filled up to their capacity with Covid-19 patients. Authorities are worried about not being able to accommodate the increasing number of patients requiring medical attention. In order to prevent a worst-case scenario, they have requested community and private hospitals to allocate at least 20 percent of their beds for patients with coronavirus.

Even as schools, colleges, commercial flights and most industries have been closed, the flow of people in public spaces has not decreased. Issuing a statement on Wednesday evening, the health ministry has warned businesses that cases of coronavirus could spread rapidly in spaces like hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and other industries, saying that the flow of people has remained high in these places. The ministry has recommended that such businesses adopt strict preventive measures to contain the spread of the deadly virus if they want to stay open. In case of any infections, the ministry has warned that the owners will have to pay for the PCR testing of their employees.

Due to the fear of a possible outbreak in the densely populated Kathmandu Valley, the government has also banned local public transport services since Tuesday. Similarly, government offices have stopped all non-essential services and instructed their employees to work on a rotation basis. 

Meanwhile, the general public has been requested to remain at home unless in the case of an emergency.

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