KATHMANDU: As many as 408 persons in Kathmandu Valley have been infected with COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

Speaking at the regular press on Saturday, Dr. Jageshwor Gautam, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, stated that 326 persons in Kathmandu, 45 in Bhaktapur and 37 in Lalitpur have been tested positive for the pandemic virus.

A total of three COVID-19 patients succumbed to the pandemic in Kathmandu Valley in the last 24 hours. Men aged 41, 69 and 65 years in Kathmandu died of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, 1,041 persons have been diagnosed with COVID-19 throughout the country.

Currently, there are 17,870 active cases of coronavirus. Among them, 9,866 are in institutional isolations and remaining in home isolation.

In the last 24 hours, nine persons lost the battle against coronavirus. The new fatalities have taken the death toll to 280.

COVID-19 spreads to community level in Kathmandu Valley

The percentage of positive rate (PPR) for the last seven days has been calculated on Thursday and the average in the Valley is around 11.70 while the national average is 8.7.

According to public health experts, a PPR above 5 indicates that the infection is widespread at the community level or that the scope of testing is not wide.

After the relaxation of July 21, the number of infected people doubled to 82.5. This means that the number of infected people is expected to double in about 82 days.

However, leaving that mathematical estimate far behind, the number of infected doubled in about 40 days.

According to a report published on the international website Statista.com on August 31, it took 34 days for the number of infected people in Nepal to double.

According to the same report, the number of infected people in the world seems to have doubled in 50 days.

Analyzing the data as of August 30, it may take about 26 days for the number of infected people to double. Despite the ban in most of the infected districts, the number of infections has  decreased.

The most frightening aspect of these situations is death. According to another report published on Statista.com on August 31, the number of deaths due to coronavirus in Nepal has doubled in just 14 days.

Nepal ranks ninth in terms of risk of coronavirus. The average number of deaths in the world has doubled in 79 days. The death toll in China, which was the first to be infected with the coronavirus, took 190 days to double, the report said.

With a higher PPR of 11 in the Valley and an average of PPR 9 in the country, the community can be considered infected.