By Chandra Prakash Sharma, Pokhara, Sept. 20: The source of contraction of virus in most of the deaths due to COVID-19 that have occurred in the Gandaki State has not been identified yet.

In the Gandaki State, of the 32 people who died of the novel coronavirus infection till Friday, except for the three who came from abroad and were in quarantine, all other 29 had contracted the virus from the community.

The first person that died in Gandaki State due to COVID-19 infection was from Syangja, the third infected was from Gorkha while the fourth infected youth was from Baglung who came from abroad and stayed in quarantine.

The second deceased in Gandaki State was a man who was living in Syangja Siruwari by doing business, but the source of his infection has not been identified yet.

According to the Gandaki Health Directorate, most of the 32 people who have died so far are chronically ill and the source of the infection is unknown.

The death toll has risen to 32 in Gandaki as the deaths of those who are permanent resident of Gandaki but lost lives in other districts are also listed under Gandaki State, he added.

A Chinese citizen living as a businessman in Pokhara, one boy of Myagdi who died in Kathmandu, two women from Gorkha and a woman from Kaski who died at the Birendra Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu, a woman and a man from Tanahun who died at the Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj and a man from Kaski who died at the Armed Police Force Hospital were also included in the list.

Binod Bindu Sharma, director of the Gandaki Health directorate, said, "In all the districts of Gandaki State, swabs have been collected at the local level for testing, quarantine facilities are made available and isolation centers at all local levels of all the districts but the list of those who have been tested and treated in other districts is also kept in Gandaki Pradesh.”

Although ICUs and ventilators were needed for the treatment of complex types of infections but the ICUs are only in operation in the Western Regional Hospital of Pokhara and Chitwan Hospital in the Gandaki State so the patients are referred to these hospital as other districts lack such facilities.

Although ICU wards with ventilators are being prepared in all the district hospitals, it has not been possible to operate in all the districts due to lack of machine and manpower.

Of the total patients who died because of the COVID-19 infection in the Gandaki state, all were suffering from cancer, kidney related diseases, respiratory diseases, pneumonia and diabetes besides the 32 year old woman and a man who just had the intestine operation.

"Although some of those who died so far had no chronic diseases but most of them were suffering from chronic diseases and are taking regular medicine,” said Sharma, director of the Gandaki Health Directorate.

According to the directorate, 11 of the 783 people have been infected so far in Kaski, six of the 748 infected in East Nawalparasi, 6 of the 238 infected in Gorkha, four of the 367 infected in Tanahu, 3 in 377 infected in Syangja, one of the 333 infected in Baglung and one of the 50 infected in Myagdi have lost their life due to COVID-19 infection in Gandaki State.