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The number of COVID-19 infected people has reached 868,215 after additional 8,730 new cases were detected positive in Nepal on January 18, 2022. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 817,547 of the total infected have recovered, and the recovery rate has reached 94.2% along with 562 latest recovered. There are 39,044 active infected cases at present.

According to the Ministry, 17,872 swab tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. Out of the total number of tests conducted on January 18, 49% were diagnosed positive and overall there were 17.2% people diagnosed positive till now.

Till now, the death toll has reached 11,624. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, one died on January 18. There are 25,680 people in home isolation. Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Makwanpur, Kavrepalanchowk, Kaski, Rupandehi and Kailali have more than 500 active cases.

On January 18, 4,956 people were tested through the antigen process among which 1,528 were diagnosed positive with COVID-19. Till date, 103,983 people have been diagnosed positive with antigen method. The number of infected, cured, and active cases has not been separated in this data. According to the Ministry, 12,347,304 people have been fully vaccinated till January 18.

According to Chitwan representative Dipendra Adhikari, 37 health workers working at Bharatpur Hospital have been infected with COVID-19 and its direct effect has been seen on the services provided by the hospital. Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Prof. Dr. Krishna Prasad Poudel, said that the number of health workers infected with covid could increase further. According to him, regular services of the hospital have been affected. He said the hospital had suspended non-emergency surgery services immediately after four doctors from the surgical department contracted the corona. Those on the operation shift were given priority and contingency, Dr. Poudel said, “The hospital has issued a public notice to the patients not to come to the hospital without any serious problem.”

According to Ramechhap representative Nawaraj Ghimire, the Gokulganga rural municipality has stopped non-essential services due to the spread of COVID-19. The rural municipality has published a notice on January 17 stating that non-essential services have been suspended from January 17 to January 21. According to a statement issued by Radhika Shrestha Newar, the Deputy Chairperson of the Rural Municipality, the service has been suspended due to increase in the cases of COVID-19 in people’s representatives and employees. She said that the decision was taken at a meeting of the local crisis management committee.

Similarly, Executive Director of Cancer Hospital Bharatpur Dr. Dej Kumar Gautam said that 41 health workers have been infected with COVID-19. According to Chitwan Medical College, about 40 health workers of the hospital have been infected. Paras Adhikari, Assistant Professor of the medical college, said that the duty time and work has been managed by the available health workers and there is no inconvenience for the time being.

According to Parbat representative Santosh Thapa, based on the recommendation of the District COVID Crisis Management Committee, the District Administration Office Parbat has issued a prohibitory order until further notice. The order has been issued by Devi Pandey Khatri, Chief District Officer of Parbat.

According to Kaski representative Sushan Ghimire, doctors and health workers of Pokhara’s major hospitals are also getting infected. As of January 18, eight employees and health workers of the Gandaki Ministry of Health and the Provincial Health Directorate have been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19. According to the Provincial Health Director Dr. Khim Khadka, the employees and health workers are infected. According to Dr. Bikash Gauchan, Executive Director of the Infectious and Communicable Diseases Hospital, three health workers at the hospital, who are treating 10 patients of COVID, have been diagnosed positive. Similarly, eight health workers of Gandaki Teaching Hospital Prithvi Chowk have been infected, said Medical Superintendent Dr Tumaya Ghale. According to Dr. Bharat Bahadur Khatri, Director of the hospital, 15 people including doctors and health workers have been infected in the Western Regional hospital, which has an average of 1,000 patients daily. After the doctors and health workers were diagnosed with the disease, the services provided by the hospital were affected.

According to Tanahu representative Prakash Chandra Bhattarai, the entire service of the rural municipality has been shut down after the COVID-19 infection is transmitted to the people’s representatives and employees of Abunkhaireni rural municipality. Chairperson of the rural municipality Gir Bahadur Thapa has informed that the entire services of the rural municipality will be stopped from January 19 to 23 after 13 people including the people’s representatives and employees of the rural municipality were infected with COVID-19.

According to Syangja representative Tilkumari Thapa, the Galyang Executive Office has issued a notice on January 18 ordering to close all the schools in Galyang municipality and will not conduct physical classes from January 18 to January 24.

According to Nawalparasi Bardaghat Susta East representative Tirtha Raj Dumre, the PCR testing lab at Madhyabindu District Hospital in Nawalparasi East has been closed due to lack of manpower. The PCR test has not been conducted in the district since January 16 after the COVID-19 infection was confirmed in two people working in the lab. District Hospital Information Officer Chhabilal Subedi said that the service was suspended due to non-arrival of additional manpower from Pokhara.

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