COVID-19 cases on rise; govt urges people to follow health protocol

KATHMANDU, JULY 3: The COVID-19  cases are increasing in the country following the rise in such cases in India, said the Ministry of Health and Population. The infection rate, which had gone down to at as low as 0.5 percent, has now hit six percent, said the Ministry's Joint Secretary, Dr. Samir Kumar Adhikari. "Even though such rate currently here is not as high as in India, it is increasing alamingly," he warned.

On June 15, out of 3,905 tests carried out to detect the disease, 25 were found to be positive. The figure rose double on July 1 when out of 2,814 tests, 50 infection cases were reported. Similarly, on June 30, 55 infection cases were reported while 62 were on June 29, 44 on June 28, 41 on June 27, 29 on June 26, and 27 on June 25. Director of the Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Control Division, Dr. Chuman Lal Das, said Nepal's increasing infection followed increasing cases in India.

People entering Nepal from India are reported to have contracted the infection in most cases, he said. "Infection rate has increased. We should strictly follow the health protocol." Gene sequencing is underway at the National Public Health Laboratory to verify whether or not a present variant is a new form of omicron (BA4 or BA5U), he said. "The report will come in a day or two," he said.