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Three persons die in quarantine in Baitadi, chronically ill, pregnant, children kept together, swab collection halted due to workload in lab



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By Gokarna Dayal, Baitadi, June 7: Three persons placed in the quarantine in Baitdi district have died so far. Of them, two tested negative for COVID-19 while report of a person who died on June 6 is yet to come out.

The latest casualty was a youth aged 31 years, a resident of Patan Municipality-6, and he had returned home from India.

With this, the number of people who passed away while staying in quarantine after coming home from India has reached three in the district.

Earlier, June Lohar, 67, a permanent resident of Purchaudi Municipality-6, had died on May 1 while staying in the quarantine facility. His PCR report for COVID-19 came out to be negative. He was an asthmatic patient.

Sunita Lohar, 22, a permanent resident of Purchaudi Municipality-4, also breathed her last on May 2 at the quarantine. The deceased woman's 18-month daughter and husband were also staying in the quarantine with her. No COVID-19 was found in the deceased woman, who had been heart patient and she had finished her regular medicine and not taking it for the last 12 days.

Yogesh Prasad Bhatta, Chief of Health Office Baitadi, said that swab of the 31-year old who died on Saturday in the quarantine youth was collected and sent to Dhangadhi for testing.

Pregnant women, children and people with chronic illness forced to stay together

4,825 people who returned home recently from India have been kept in 10 different quarantine locations of the local levels in Baitadi district. Of them, 406 are women, and some women are pregnant while some of them are with children.

There are two pregnant women in the quarantine of Sigas Rural Municipality, one at the quarantine set up at Ganesh Secondary School and the other at the quarantine set up at Bal Krishna Secondary School, 6 and 7 wards of the RM respectively. As per the doctors report, their expected delivery period falls in the last week of this Zestha month or second week of June. If they fail for normal delivery and need to be taken to hospital, they will have to walk for about 3 to 5 hours to reach the nearest road. They have been placed in the quarantine in such a way.

Due to lack of managerial skill at the local levels, it is found that pregnant women, children and people with chronic illness are kept together in the same quarantine location. Associated risk has grown as these pregnant women, children and chronically sick are not provided proper care. Health office of Baitadi district mentioned that preparations were underway to hold discussion on this issue with the local levels.

PCR testing halted, rapid test augments fear

Swab collection of those who tested positive in the Rapid Diagnostic Test has been halted in Baitadi district following instruction from above as there were over a thousand swabs to be tested in PCR method in the laboratory of the Seti Provincial Hospital of the Sudur Paschim State. According to the instruction, the swab collection would be halted for five days.

Health Office of Baitadi district said that PCR report of the 152 people who tested positive in the RDT was yet to come from the lab at Seti Provincial Hospital. Although swab collection has been halted, an RDT of 691 of those who completed their two-week stay in quarantine on Saturday was conducted. Of 691, 102 tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 that caused COVID-19, which has augmented fear in the quarantine.

 Since lockdown started, 4288 RDTs have been conducted in Baitadi district. Of them, 319 tested positive for the virus in the RDT, and of the 319, only 2 tested positive for the virus in the PCR test.

Four people of Shiva Nath Rural Municipality of Baitadi, who came to Nepal from India through Gaurifanta border point, tested positive in the PCR test carried out in Dhangadhi and they are under treatment in the Seti Provincial Hospital there.