SAPTARI: Fifty-three people including 37 police personnel in the district have been infected with COVID-19.

Of the infected, the 37 police personnel are from the district police office and one is a 19-year-old who works at the office as a cleaner.

Swabs of the infected were tested at Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital, Rajbiraj, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan and Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar.

The infected police personnel includes two inspectors, three sub-inspectors, four assistant sub-inspectors and four head constables.

Other infected is a doctor at the Gajendra Narayan Singh hospital and an advocate, said acting medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Ranajit Kumar Jha. The infected are between the age group of 19 and 45.

With this, infection cases in the district have reached 1,143 (944 men and 199 women) and the death toll from the virus reached nine (eight men and one woman), said the district health office.

Of the infected, 750 (639 men and 111 women) have been free of the virus.