By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, May 15: A six-year-old girl of Kapilvastu district, who was undergoing treatment at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, the Hospital said.
She was admitted to the TUTH after being brought to Kathmandu from Kapilvastu recently for medical treatment. Her samples tested positive for COVID-19 through tests carried out at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), the MoHP confirmed. She has now been shifted to the isolation ward at TUTH’s Ganeshman Bhawan.
Meanwhile, following confirmation of COVID-19 infection in the six-year-old, the Neuro Ward of the Hospital where she was admitted has been sealed off and 38 doctors, nurses and others, who came in close contact with her, have been quarantined.
Also, five other patients who were receiving treatment in the same ward have been kept in quarantine, informed Dr. Santa

Kumar Das, coordinator of COVID-19 management team at TUTH.
COVID-19 tally reaches 249
Three more new cases were recorded on Thursday, including the six-year-old girl. With this, the COVID-19 tally in Nepal has reached 249, including 199 males and 50 females. The average age of the majority of infected people is between 20 to 50 years, said the MoHP.
The other two include a 32-year-old male from Chandragiri, Kathmandu and a 49-year-old male from Devchuli Municipality-12, Nawalparasi (East) districts, informed Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari, deputy spokesperson at MoHP.
Likewise, the ministry confirmed three new cases of COVID-19, on Thursday evening.
A 7-year old boy from Dahachowk, Kathmandu, 17-year old female from Janakpur, Dhanusha and 30-year old female from Dhading tested positive for the virus in PCR test done at National Public Health Municipality (NPHL), informed Dr Adhikari.
As per the latest state-wise figures, State 2 now has the highest number of COVID-19 patients with 100 cases, followed by State 5 with 95 cases and State 1 with 35 cases. Likewise, Bagmati State has 12, Sudurpaschim State has five and Gandaki has two coronavirus cases as of today afternoon. Karnali State has not recorded any COVID-19 cases till date. The COVID-19 patients are from 22 districts.
Meanwhile, the number of PCR sample tests carried out nationwide has reached 22,664 with 1,363 PCR tests conducted in the last 24 hours. Likewise, 62,327 Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) have been conducted in the seven states, said Dr Devkota.
According to MoHP, 15,600 people are under quarantine in seven states. Also, 272 people are admitted to isolation wards in various hospitals, including six in the Kathmandu Valley and 266 outside the valley.
Kits dispatched to five states, plan
to conduct tests in 28 districts
The MoHP on Thursday dispatched 14,700 sets of RDT, 7,000 VTF and PPE medical equipment via air and land route to State 1, State 2, State 5, Karnali and Sudurpaschim State, said Dr. Devkota. “This will help us expand our testing coverage as well provide critical medical materials to our health workers there,” he added.
With the additional medical equipment, the plan is to expand and conduct tests in 28 districts of these five States, Dr. Devkota said.