Taranath Acharya and Khemraj Gautam 

Balewa, April 15 : The fifth and sixth COVID-19 infected patients detected in Nepal, both from Baglung district, are currently in isolation at Dhaulagiri Hospital.    
 Both are under the direct and close observation of health workers who are working relentlessly to cure them of the infection and send them back home as the COVID-19 conqueror.    
When the scribes approached them, they were in a stable condition and were passing their days in isolation, as their medical attendants said, with confidence, grit and patience.     
A 19-year-old girl from Baglung municipality-4 in Baglung district was the fifth person reported to have been infected with COVID-19 in the country on March 28.    
 Responding to the queries posed by the scribes over phone on her health, well-being and experience in isolation ward, she answered, “I am getting healed. I am doing well. How are you?”    
While she spoke to us, she already had taken her breakfast- tea and snacks- served by the health workers attending to her. She was waiting for the report of her nasal and throat swab to come negative against COVID-19 test so that she can return her home. “I think I can return home after the report of the latest test conducted this time comes negative,” hoped the patient who has been in isolation for nearly two weeks.    
Similarly, sixth case of COVID-19 was detected on 65-year-old woman from Gaidakot of Baglung municipality-3 on April 2. Her isolation experience is as similar as the 19-year-old. Both have a set of fixed routine to follow for medication and food, rest and sleep in isolation.    
Asked if she was facing any issues or difficulties while in isolation, she replied with a leap of faith, “There has been no issues as of now. The medical attendants bring me food on time. I am not worried at all.”    
Test on both COVID-19 suspects was conducted at Pokhara Academy of Health and Science which had come positive, according to the Hospital. Since then both of them were undergoing treatment in isolation.    
Both the infected ones are now in normal condition and were staying in isolation with a strong morale, according to Dr Shailendra B Pokharel, Hospital’s Officiating Medical Superintendent.    
 “They are fully cooperating with us in their treatment. They take whatever food items we provide to them,” shared Dr Pokharel, adding that the elderly patient sometimes suffers high blood pressure. Other than that, the medical officer said, there was no complication in both case.    
The patients also have no grievances on any services either. They have been allowed mobile phones so that they don’t suffer loneliness in the seclusion where entry is permitted to very limited people wearing the fully personal protective equipment.    
Dr Pokharel further said, "The Hospital will inform the patients about their tests through certain procedure.” Both the patients will only be apprised of the result of their test while collecting nasal and throat swab from them again.    
The medical officers also take stock of the isolated patients through telephone sometimes. “We call them sometimes to collect their feedback on food and other services. Sometimes they crave for certain food which we arrange for them if they do not harm their medication process.”    
The Hospital provides them vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian diet. A team of 30 nurses and medical officers have been attending to the two patients routinely.    
No other new cases have been detected in Baglung district since these two. “But”, Health Office, Baglung’s chief Suraj Gurau cautioned, “It does not mean we can be confident that there would be no other COVID-19 patients in the district.”    
Baglung municipality has been observing precaution strictly after two cases of COVID-19 were detected. Since then more tests were being conducted on the suspected ones too.