By Dhirendra Prasad Sah, Rajbiraj, Aug. 3: As many as 25 cases of COVID-19 has been detected in a single day in a single settlement of Launiya at Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality in Saptari district.

With this, total number of infected in the ward has reached 31 while number of COVID-19 patients in the given rural municipality has surged to 79, according to Rajesh Kumar Jha, disaster management officer of the rural municipality.

The newly infected at Launiya include hair dresser, tea stall owners, Pan and snack shop owner.

The new cases were found through contact tracing on Sudnay. A few days ago, a 50-year old male of Launiya was admitted to Rajbiraj-based Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital for treatment of self-poisoning and he had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19.

Duniya Lal Yadav, acting chief of Saptari District Health Office, said the newly infected were found through contact tracking and tracing of the man who had got admitted to Gajendra Narayan Hospital for treatment of self-poisoning and was found positive for the virus.

Two health workers who attended the infected man at the emergency ward of the hospital also tested positive for virus on Sunday. Earlier, five of the family members of the self-poisoning man and a health workers were found positive for the virus.

People of Launiya may have got infected while visiting Kunauli market of Bihar, India, as they frequent the market for shopping, according to acting chief Yadav.

Satish Kumar Singh, Chair of Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality, said that local administration was urged in writing to restrict mobility through Kunauli border as infection has entered from Bihar through the border point.