KATHMANDU: The coronavirus has turned more fatal to Nepali expats as it has cost 3 lives and infected 35 of them globally.
According to the data published by Johns Hopkins University, the death toll has surpassed 30,800 globally.
The virus known as COVID-19, which emerged in Wuhan, China last December, has spread to at least 199 countries and territories around the globe, with a total of 665,164 confirmed cases worldwide and 30,851 deaths.
A total of 138,664 people diagnosed with the virus have recovered globally. Italy, Spain, China and Iran continue to be the most affected countries in terms of deaths, but the U.S. tops the list of the highest number of confirmed cases — 116,505.
Italy recorded the highest number of deaths with 10,023 fatalities out of 92,500 cases, while Spain also came behind it in Europe with 5,812 deaths and over 72,200 confirmed cases.
Nepal is also not untouched by the virus. On Saturday, Nepal is reported with another case of COVID-19 taking the total cases to five.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population, a 22-year-old girl who had recently returned from Belgium has tested positive for COVID-19.
Spokesperson Bikash Devkota informed in a press briefing on Saturday that her swab sample sent to National Public Health Laboratory came out to be positive.
She hails from Baglung and is undergoing treatment at Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital. “She had arrived in Nepal from Belgium via Qatar transit on a flight QR 652 of Qatar Airways,” Devkota added details in the briefing, “She is currently under doctor’s monitoring and her health condition is normal”.
She had come on the same flight with a 19-year-old girl who had earlier tested positive for COVID-19.
Earlier on Friday, a 34-year-old man who had recently returned from Dubai tested positive for COVID-19. He is currently undergoing treatment at Seti Provincial Hospital in Dhangadi.
Earlier, a Nepali girl arriving in Nepal from France via Qatar transit and a man from Dubai had tested positive for coronavirus.
According to Spokesperson Devkota, their health condition is normal. Nepal, on January 24, had confirmed the first case of deadly coronavirus in the country and it was a Nepali student who recently returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan. He was discharged after recovery.
Besides, at least 35 Nepalis have been infected across the globe. According to the latest data compiled from a respective government official, local and international media and Nepal’s mission, 3 Nepali have died of it so far.
In the USA alone, three Nepalis have been diagnosed with the pandemic virus and one has died so far.
Anil Subba, hailing from Panchthar district, died while undergoing treatment for COVID-19. Subba, born in Rani village of the district, had been living in New York and was involved in hotel and taxi businesses.
He is survived by a wife and two sons.
Likewise, 2 Nepalis are infected with the virus in the UAE.
On Saturday, four Nepali students in Australia tested positive for coronavirus, which takes the total cases to eight there.
According to the Embassy, all the victims are girls and they are staying in self-quarantine.
One among the four girls, who was infected with the virus some days ago, had shared the room with others. Two of them were diagnosed with the novel virus recently while the remaining one tested negative.
In Europe, 7 Nepalis have been diagnosed with the virus in Spain. Similarly, 3 Nepalis have tested positive in Portugal.
Similarly, 8 Nepalis in France are diagnosed with coronavirus. Likewise, a 4-member family in Germany for 10 years is found infected with the coronavirus.
Likewise, one is recovered, one is undergoing treatment and two are dead in the UK.
Bagawati Ranabhat, originally from Syangja, Nepal, was the first Nepali COVID-19 victim in the UK. She returned home after recovery on Tuesday.
Leela Bahadur Rai, a former Gurkha soldier who died in London turned the first Nepali to die of this epidemic. Rai, 66 who lived in London’s South Harrow died on March 17. He was undergoing medical treatment at Northwick Park Hospital.
Another Nepali who died of Coronavirus UK was Prashant Aryal, 40. According to Padam Karki, Aryal’s relative in London informed the family members that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Aryal, who had been living in London for more than a decade, had no health complications than hypertension.
He was taken to local Queen Elizabeth Hospital on March 21 after having symptoms similar to COVID-19 and died in course of treatment on Mar. 23.
With no substantive medication to heal the victims, the pandemic is likely to cause a big threat to more population in the days to come.
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