KATHMANDU: A total of 73 Nepalis have died from the COVID-19 in the foreign land till date.
According to the data provided by Health Committee under the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), 49 Nepalis have died in the UK, 15 in the USA, five in the UAE and one each in Ireland, Japan, Turkey and the Netherlands due to coronavirus.
Similarly, 5,274 Non-Resident Nepalis have been infected by the pandemic virus in 27 countries, Chairman at Health Committee Dr. Sanjeev Sapkota claimed, adding that some 1,570 have recovered already.
According to Sapkota, the number of Nepalis infected with coronavirus is increasing in some Middle-East countries. Middle-East countries including Qatar have reported that 2,300 Nepali workers have been infected with the coronavirus.
As per the record, 1,500 Nepalis in the USA, 1,000 in the UK, 126 in Bahrain, 100 in the UAE, 78 in Kuwait, 34 in Saudi Arabia, 26 in Portugal, 22 in Ireland, 12 in Spain, 10 in Australia, six in Belgium and Japan, five in Switzerland and Canada, four in Germany, three each in Malaysia, New Zealand and Cyprus, two in the Maldives, Malta, Hong Kong and one each in France and Myanmar have been infected.
NRNA has collected these data with the help of Nepal’s mission, branches of NRNA and local communities.
Number of Nepalis infected in Gulf spikes
The coronavirus infection is increasing among Nepalis who have reached the Gulf countries for employment.
Thirty-four Nepali workers including two women in the area around Jeddah, a major business center in Saudi Arabia, have been infected with the coronavirus.
According to the office of the Nepali Consulate in Jeddah, they are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the city. Acting Consul General Revati Poudel said that he was in regular contact with all the infected Nepalis.
Although the Saudi Ministry of Health has not disclosed the nationalities of those infected with the coronavirus, Poudel said that there are 34 Nepalis in contact with the consulate. He said he was in regular contact with patients, the company’s official representative (PRO) and doctors.
One of the patients, a 50-year-old worker, has been kept in the ICU for special care. Others are being treated in the hospital’s general ward.
Two out of 34 have recovered. 18 patients are undergoing in the hospital. Poudel said that 15 people were also shifted to quarantine from the hospital as they were recovering. Of those infected, 21 are working in three supply companies, nine in a chocolate company and four in a supermarket.
Apart from this, other Nepalis are also infected in Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, 1,362 people tested positive on Saturday. So far, the number of infected people in the country has reached 25,459. Of them, 3765 have been cured while 176 people have died.
Similarly, the number of infected Nepalis in Kuwait has reached 78.
A total of 126 Nepalis have been infected in Bahrain. It is the highest number of infected Nepalis in the Gulf countries.
A total of 14,872 people have been infected in Qatar so far. The country has not disclosed the nationalities of those infected.
A total of five Nepalis have been infected in the UAE.
The association is working to distribute relief to Nepalis affected by the coronavirus pandemic, NRNA General Secretary Dr. Hem Raj Sharma informed. Relief has been already distributed to more than 35,000 Nepalis affected by the coronavirus pandemic in different countries.
Meanwhile, NRNA President Kumar Pant has expressed deep sorrow over the death of a large number of non-resident Nepalis due to the coronavirus.
President Pant expressed deep condolences to the families and relatives of those who lost their lives due to the coronavirus infection.
Stating that he was saddened by the latest figures released by the association’s health committee, Pant urged all non-resident Nepalis to unite and fight against the coronavirus and called on all for strictly following health regulations issued by government bodies in various countries.
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