By Deepak Prasad Gautam, Birgunj, Aug. 18: Parsa district on Tuesday recorded the highest single-day tally with 153 new cases of COVID-19.

In Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test done at National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), Teku, 68 persons including 30 doctors, nurses and patients of Narayani Vayodha Hospital, Birgunj alone were found with the virus infection.

Likewise, 55 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the PCR test done at Narayani Hospital Laboratory.

Due to the shortage of PCR kits in Narayani Hospital laboratory, more than 1,100 swab samples were sent to the Central Laboratory, Kathmandu on August 10 and 11.

According to the Parsa District Health Office, the NPHL had sent the PCR test report on Monday night in which 68 additional cases of novel coronavirus infection including 13 females and 30 officials of Vayodha Hospital were confirmed.

"As many as 57 persons whose swab samples were collected from Shreepur Vidyapeeth Secondary School in Birgunj Metropolitan City (BMC)-11 and 11 persons whose swab samples were collected from Trijudh Secondary School were found with COVID-19 infection," said Jayamod Thakur, health inspector of Parsa Health Office.

Six doctors, 11 nurses, 12 officials and a patient of Vayodha Hospital were also detected with the virus infection, added Thakur.

Likewise, in the PCR test report of Narayani Hospital Laboratory, which came out late on Monday night, 55 persons were found with the virus infection in Parsa of which 25 are from Bahadurmai Municipality-4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Seven police officials, five of District Police Office, Parsa and two of Birta Ward Police Office, a doctor and an OPD official of Narayani Hospital, eight persons from BMC-10, Murti Chowk, six from BMC-1, Chapkaiya, three from BMC-4, Birta, two from National Medical College and one each from BMC-8, 11, 14 and 16 were also found with the virus infection, said health inspector Thakur.

With 153 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed on Monday, including 68 cases detected in NPHL, 30 cases of Vayodha Hospital Birgunj and 55 cases detected in Narayani Hospital Laboratory, the district caseload of Parsa has surged to 1,474, informed the Parsa District Administration Office.