By Dhirendra Prasad Sah, Rajbiraj, June 22: As many as 13 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Saptari, taking the district caseload to 173.

Of the newly identified COVID-19 patients, two persons aged 29 and 24 are from Hanuman Nagar Kankalini Municipality, four aged 16, 42, 38 and 38 from Balanbihul Rural Municipality, five aged 24, 35, 23, 27 and 31 from Rajgadh Rural Municipality and two aged 38 each are from Rajbiraj Municipality, informed Duniya Lal Yadav, Chief of Saptari District Health Office.

The swab tests were conducted in Janakpur Provincial Hospital and Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital, Rajbiraj.

All COVID-19 patients had returned to Nepal from various places of India such as Haryana, New Delhi and Punjab. They were residing in quarantines set up by their respective local levels.

Yadav said that preparations to keep the patients in isolation was underway.

Meanwhile, 71 COVID-19 patients of the district receiving treatment in isolation centers and hospitals have been discharged after recovering from the virus infection.

Currently, there are 87 active patients in the district out of which swab samples of 30 patients have been sent for re-test.

Out of 173 total COVID-19 patients, 32 are from Bodebarsain Munipality, 37 from Hanuman Nagar Kankalini Municipality, 31 from Balan Bihul Rural Municipality, 15 from Chinnamasta Rural Municipality, 18 from Rajgadh Rural Municipality, 12 from Dakneshwori Municipality, three each are from Khadak and Kanchanrup Municipality and one each is from Sambhunath Municipality and Bishnupur, Tirahut, Mahadeva and Tilathi Koilathi Rural Municipalities.