By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Sept. 28: More than 50 per cent of the COVID-19 patients are staying in home isolation in Nepal. According to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), of the 19,019 active cases of COVID-19 across the nation, 8,321 patients are in institutional isolation and 10,698 are in home isolation.
The MoHP has prioritised home isolation over hospitals for the asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 patients owing to the burden to hospitals and health care system.
In late August, the government had decided to hospitalise only symptomatic patients while asymptomatic patients would be asked to isolate at home. The MoHP has time and again asked all the patients to follow the safety protocols while staying in home isolation.
As per the latest update, 482 patients are staying at home isolation in State 1 and 674 in State 2. In Bagmati State 6,095 patients are staying at home, 374 patients in Gandaki State, 1694 in State 5. Similarly, in Karnali State 225 patients and in Sudurpaschim 155 patients are staying in home isolation.
Of 1,573 new cases, 809 from Kathmandu Valley
The national official tally of COVID-19 has reached 73,394 with 1,573 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. Among the total infected people 53,600 are males and 19,794 are females.
The MoHP confirmed 1,573 new cases of which 809 were from the Kathmandu Valley alone.
“In 10,123 Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests done in the last 24 hours, 1,573 persons were found with the novel coronavirus infection , informed Dr. Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at MoHP in the daily press briefing on Sunday.
Among the 809 cases detected in the Kathmandu Valley, 294 were females and 515 males, revealed the daily report released by the MoHP today. Of the 809 new cases of the valley, 633 cases, including 230 females and 403 males, were detected in Kathmandu, 72 cases, including 21 females and 51 males, were found in Bhaktapur and  104 cases, including 43 females and 61 males, were recorded in Lalitpur.
As per the latest update, 885 people who had earlier contracted COVID-19 tested negative for the virus. So far, 53,898 people have recovered from the disease in the country. The recovery rate now stands at 73.4, said Dr. Gautam.
Likewise, 10 fatalities were registered on Sunday, with which the COVID-19 death tally has reached 477.
Of the active cases, 225 patients are receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Units and 33 are receiving treatment with the ventilator support.