Nepal reports third coronavirus death, 444 infected

KATHMANDU, May 21: The death toll from novel coronavirus has reached three in Nepal after a patient from Madane rural municipality-6 of Gulmi district died on Thursday morning.

The 41-year-old male was admitted to Crimson Hospital based in Tilottama Municipality -6, Manigram, Rupandehi on May 14 and was in the ventilator support for eight days. The Ministry of Health and Population had confirmed his test result as positive on Monday at a provincial lab in Bhairahawa.

“The patient breathed his last at 7: 10 am today,” said Dr. Uma Shankar Chaudhari, Chief of Health Division at Ministry of Social Development in Province-5.

A principal at Kanke Deurali Primary School, he was suffering from typhoid, jaundice and kidney disease, according to Chaudhary.

Various media had reported that the man had died of the virus on Wednesday. But later, the ministry clarified he was alive but critical. The hospital had also denied the reports.

Earlier, the ministry had confirmed two fatalities from the virus.

A 29-year-old mother from Barabise municipality of Sindhupalchowk district died “on the way” to Dhulikhel hospital on May 16 ten days after giving birth to a baby at TU Teaching Hospital. The post-natal mother is the first casualty of the country and the only confirmed case in the district.

A day later, a 25-year-old male from Narainapur-5, Banke died while in quarantine.

The virus has now spread to 38 districts infecting 444 people as of May 21, with Province 5 the hotspot with nearly 200 cases. Banke is the worst-affect district in the province with 99 cases and one death, followed by Kapilvastu with 59 cases. Rupendahi is the third most affected district in the province with 28 infections.

Province 2 is the second in the list with 136 confirmed cases, with the virus spreading to all eight districts. Parsa is the worst-affected with 91 cases. Rautahat has reported 22 cases.

Likewise, 15 new cases in Jhapa and one each in Sunsari were reported today morning as the total cases in Province 1 climbed to 76 today. Jhapa alone has 27 cases and all of them are from Kachankawal rural municipality, according to the Health ministry.

Bagmati has reported 26 cases, Sudurpaschim has 5, Gandaki has four and Karnali has one case so far.

A total of 45 patients have recovered.