By Dipak Prasad Gautam, Birgunj, May 14: A 38-year old staff nurse working at isolation ward of Narayani Hospital, Birgunj, has tested positive for COVID-19.

She had tested negative for the virus in two PCR tests but she tested positive in the third test.

Following the increasing COVID-19 cases in hospital, the nurse who was working in pediatrics department was shifted to isolation ward.

The staff nurse of Narayani Hospital was one of the three patients who had tested positive for the virus on Wednesday evening, informed Dr. Madan Uadhyaya, Medical Superintendent of the hospital.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Parsa has reached 85, including two journalists and one staff nurse.

COVID-19 cases are now being seen in rural areas of the district including Jayamangalpur, Samjhauta, Tulasibarba, Dhobni and Bhiswa.

The virus infection, which was previously seen only in Birgunj Metropolitan City-1, 2 and 3 has now spread to BMC-4, 16, 17 and 18.

57 persons in a single day had tested positive for the virus in Parsa on Wednesday.
COVID-19 confirmed in 18 persons on Wednesday night have been kept at quarantine due to lack of beds in isolation ward of the hospital, informed Dr. Upadhyaya.

"69 COVID-19 patients are already at the hospital. The hospital beds will not be enough to admit more COVID-19 patients," informed Dr. Upadhyaya. "Our isolation ward has 70 beds. Thus, we won't be admitting COVID-19 patients anymore."

Upadhyaya informed that initially, the isolation ward had only five beds. Along with the increase in COVID-19 patients, the number of beds was increased to 70, he added.

The 69 COVID-19 patients were kept in isolation in ICU, maternity, surgical and orthopedic wards of the hospital.