By Abinash Chaudhary, Dhangadhi, Apr. 29: Sudurpaschim Province recorded eight COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday.

Five virus-infected patients from Kailali and three from Kanchanpur succumbed to the infection on the same day, taking Sudurpaschim Province's COVID-19 death toll to 74.  

Shivaraj Joshi, information officer of Kailali District Administration Office said that three patients of the district aged 45, 33, and 60 died under treatment at Seti Provincial Hospital while an 87-year-old female of Godawari Municipality died while staying in home isolation.

"A 45-year-old female of Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City-3, a 33-year-old male of Lamkichuha Municipality-2, and a 60-year-old male of Ghodaghodi Municipality-10 died while receiving treatment in ICU," informed Dilip Kumar Shrestha, information officer at Seti Provincial Hospital. He said that the 45-year-old female died within 12 hours of testing positive.

A 28-year-old male of Ghodaghodi-12 also succumbed to the infection on Thursday afternoon.

Similarly, three patients succumbed to the infection in Mahakali Hospital of Kanchanpur on Thursday. Dr. Govinda Rokaya, COVID-19 focal person at the hospital said, "A 21-year-old male who was also suffering from blood cancer, a 30-year-old male of Dodhara Chandani Municipality-1 who had recently returned from India and a 36-year-old female of Bhimdutta-18 died of COVID-19 while they were under treatment."

Dr. Rokaya said that serious pneumonia was seen in the majority of the patients who lost their lives in the second wave of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Mahakali Hospital has been in short of oxygen as around 15 cylinders are being used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients daily.

It has been said that one oxygen cylinder used in ICU and ventilator is enough only for one hour.

Dr. Rokaya said, "We will have to face a difficult situation if we do not receive enough oxygen on time. The government must prioritise managing enough oxygen for COVID-19 response."