KATHMANDU: Total coronavirus cases in the country stand at 17,658 as of Sunday afternoon, Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population said.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, Spokesperson at the Ministry Dr. Jageshwor Gautam said that Nepal confirmed 156 fresh cases in the past 24 hours.

The new cases were detected in Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Parsa, Bara, Sarlahi, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Morang, Rautahat, Makwanpur, Kaski, Lamjung, Baglung, Myagdi, Syangja, Parbat, Rupandehi, Pyuthan, Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Nawalparasi, Salyan, Dadeldhura and Kailali.

A total of 3,741 samples were tested through the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method in the past 24 hours, he stated.

Currently, 22,622 people are in quarantine centers and 5,923 are undergoing treatment in isolation.

Meanwhile, 58 COVID-19 patients were discharged from different hospitals and isolation centers.

So far, 11,695 people have been discharged across the country after recovery. The recovery rate in the country now stands at 66.24 per cent.

Nepal’s COVID-19 death toll stands at 40. The death rate stands at 1.04 percent.