By Sampada Anuranjanee Khatiwada

Kathmandu, July 18: The ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) confirmed 101 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.
In 4,688 Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests done in the last 24 hours, 101 persons were found positive for the virus, informed Dr. Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson of the ministry in the daily press briefing today.
The new cases were detected in Saptari, Jhapa, Morang, Dhanusa, Bara, Parsa, Bhaktapur, Nuwakot, Makawanpur, Nawalparasi (East), Rautahat, Sindhuli, Kavre, Kathmandu, Palpa, Lamjung, Tanahun, Bardiya, Dang, Rolpa, Rupandehi, Salyan, Rukum (West), Dadeldhura, Bajhang and Doti districts.
Meanwhile, 285 COVID-19 patients, receiving treatment at various health facilities across the nation, were discharged in the last 24 hours after recovering from the virus. The recovery rate now stands at 66.12 per cent.
Currently, there are 5,871 active cases of COVID-19 and 22,756 are quarantine.
No community transfer in Kathmandu
After the cases of virus infection started increasing in the Kathmandu Valley, the MoHP had collected 4,800 swab samples from different places of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts.
“In the 4,800 PCR tests, only three were found with the SARS-CoV-2 infection,” said Dr. Gautam. “Of the three infected, two had returned from abroad and one was a local working in a beauty parlour.”
“This proves that the virus has not reached the community,” said Dr. Gautam.
73-year old succumbs to the virus
Meanwhile, the ministry confirmed yet another COVID-19 death.
“A 73-year-old COVID-19 patient of Rajbiraj Municipality-1, Saptari, could not survive the virus infection,” said Dr. Gautam. “He breathed his last on Thursday while receiving treatment at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Dharan. He was also suffering from diabetes and heart disease.”
After sensing some difficulty in breathing, he was admitted to BPKIHS, Dharan.
After testing positive for the virus on Thursday, he was receiving treatment in ventilator. He breathed his last later on the same day at 10:15 PM, said Dr. Gautam. With this, the national COVID-19 tally has reached 17,445, including 11,534 cases of recovery and 40 deaths.