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The number of COVID-19 infected people has reached 455,020 after additional 7,316 new cases were detected positive in Nepal on May 16, 2021. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 339,756 of the total infected have recovered, and the recovery rate has reached 74.7% along with the 6,648 latest recovered.

According to the Ministry, 19,539 swab tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. Out of the total number of tests conducted on May 16, 37% were diagnosed positive and overall there were 16.4% people diagnosed positive till now. On May 16, 658 people below the age of 19 were diagnosed positive for COVID-19.

Till now, the death toll has reached 5,001. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 145 people died on May 16. There are 110,263 in isolation. There are more than 500 active cases in Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa, Rautahat, Dhanusha, Parsa, Mahottari, Bara, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Chitwan, Kavrepalanchowk, Makwanpur, Dhading, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk, Sindhuli, Kaski, Nawalparasi East, Gorkha, Tanahu, Dang, Rupandehi, Banke, Palpa, Bardiya, Kapilbastu, Arghakhanchi, Nawalparasi West, Surkhet, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Baitadi and Achham.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 74 districts have been following complete or partial prohibition till May 16, 2021.

In Province 1,

Province 1 is sending oxygen to other districts which are facing a lack of oxygen. Oxygen cylinders have been sent to Siraha, Saptari and Dhanusha from Province 1. Oxygen has been sent to Rupandehi, Dadeldhura, Kathmandu, Makwanpur, Dang and other districts. After the Covid-19 Hospital of the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan Sub-metropolitan was filled with infected people, the newly infected people have been kept in the veranda and premises for treatment. The District Administration Office in Sankhuwasabha has extended the prohibition order from midnight on May 26 to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection. In Tehruthum, Chhathar Municipality has been running a program called ‘One Request, Many Services’ since May 20. The villagers have been requested to follow the prohibition order.

In Province 2, 

In Saptari, as the stock of VTM and antigen kits and re-agents has finished, Saptari has requested the provincial government to provide 5,000 units immediately. Administrative Officer at the District Administration Office, Kishore Kumar Ram, said that the provincial government has been requested to provide the kits immediately as per the decision of the District Crisis Management Centre as the testing of Covid infected people is being affected. In Bara, Rameshwar Banjara, acting chief administrative officer of Jitpur Simara Sub-metropolitan, has issued a notice on May 16 stating that all services except the essential ones have been shut down till May 24. In Dhanusha, the number of Covid infected people is increasing day by day and there is a lack of oxygen. Patients died due to a lack of oxygen. A team led by Chief Minister of the province Lal Babu Raut and Chief Justice Dipendra Jhala has inspected the Dhalkewar Gas Industry (Oxygen Plant) in Dhalkewar.

In Bagmati Province,

The treatment of critically ill patients of Covid has been affected due to non-operation of two ventilators connected to Dhading Hospital. Chairperson of Dhading Hospital, Mahendra Dhamala, said that the ventilator provided by the provincial government last year was connected to Dhading Hospital but could not come into operation. The ventilator given for the treatment of covid patients is not functioning even during the pandemic. The ventilator could not be operated in the hospital as it could not be operated without an anesthesiologist, a physician and an oxygen plant. In Nuwakot, the district administration office has issued a prohibitory order for another 15 days in Nuwakot till June 1.

In Gandaki Province,

With the increase in Covid-19 infection in Lamjung, a prohibition order has been added in the district for another week till June 1. The number of Covid-19 infected people in the district has recently reached 225. The PCR of 971 people has been tested and 440 reports have been pending for four days.

Covid Hospital has come into operation in Ghyalchowk of Gorkha Gandaki Municipality-8. Bimal Regmi, in-charge of Ghyalchowk Health Post, said that a 10-bed capacity Covid-19 treatment care centre has been brought into operation to facilitate the treatment of Covid-19 infected people. The rural municipality has also managed six small and five large oxygen cylinders. In Gandaki rural municipality, 29 people are in home isolation.

There is a lack of oxygen in Dhaulagiri Hospital, Baglung. Dr. Shailendra Pokharel, medical superintendent of the hospital, said that the hospital was not able to contain the oxygen as the infection rate of Covid-19 was increasing.

Mohan Kumar Shrestha, the spokesperson of Tanahun Byas Municipality, said that it has been decided to close all the services except regular sanitation, sanitation and health-related services provided by the Byas Municipality office and ward offices.

In Lumbini Province,

In Pyuthan, the District Covid Crisis Management Centre has extended prohibition order till May 29. In Rupandehi, 89 people, including medical officers working at Lumbini Provincial Hospital and Butwal, have been diagnosed positive with covid infection. In Arghakhanchi, the district level covid crisis management centre and all-party meeting have issued a complete prohibition order in the district till May 24 after covid infection and mortality started increasing in the district.

In Karnali Province,

A virtual meeting of the civil society representatives held in the district on May 16 has drawn the attention of the stakeholders saying that the province has not been ready to control the pandemic in Rukum West. Representatives of human rights activists, journalists, legal practitioners and civil society in the district had decided to hold a virtual meeting on May 14 to draw attention to the issue.

In Sudurpaschim Province,

The number of Covid infected people in Kailali who need oxygen is increasing day by day in the hospital. Dilip Kumar Shrestha, information officer at Seti Provincial Hospital, said that the government needs to focus on capacity building of the plant and management of manpower required for oxygen production as the number of patients who need oxygen is high even though only 50-60 cylinders of oxygen gas is being produced daily for four people. The period of prohibition order has been extended in Baitadi May 31, 2021.

Click here to read the report of May 16, 2020

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