KATHMANDU: The country recorded a total of 2,977 new cases of coronavirus while 1,678 infected patients recovered in the past 24 hours alarmingly increasing again on Friday.

Of the 2,977 cases confirmed, 1,982 were detected through RT-PCR method and 995 from antigen-method.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, altogether 18 infected patients died of the virus infection in the past 24 hours. With the recent death toll, total deaths caused due to COVID-19 reached 9,679 in the country.

In the meantime, Kathmandu valley  has seen 613 new cases of the pandemic in past 24 hours. Out of them, Kathmandu got  410, Lalitpur 134 and Bhaktapur 69 cases.