By Ajita Rijal
Kathmandu, July 24: The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) confirmed 147 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
The new cases were discovered by conducting 3,481 Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests in the last 24 hours.
In the 3,481 Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests done in the last 24 hours, 147 persons were found with the virus infection, informed Dr. Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson of the MoHP, in the daily press briefing on Thursday.  
As per the latest update, a total of 331,095 PCR tests have been conducted so far.
Of the infected, nine of them are from the Kathmandu Valley. Among them, five are from Kathmandu and two each from Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts.
According to the ministry, 156 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment in various health facilities across the nation were discharged in the last 24 hours after recovering from the virus infection. The recovery rate now is 70.39 per cent.
Currently, there are 5,358 active cases of COVID-19 and 20,098 are in quarantine.
Dr. Gautam informed that at present, six districts including Bhojpur, Panchthar, Sankhuwasabha, Rasuwa, Manang, and Mustang have no active case of coronavirus infection. Similarly, three districts, including Rautahat, Kailali, and Bajura have over 500 active cases of infection.
43 deaths
The MoHP has confirmed yet another COVID-19 death today.
“A 70-year old male receiving treatment in the temporary COVID-19 hospital under Narayani Hospital, Birgunj, died of COVID-19 on July 22,” said Dr. Gautam.
With this, the COVID-19 death toll has reached 43 while the national COVID-19 caseload has reached 18,241, including 12,840 cases of recovery.
17 persons with two doctors
test positive in Birgunj
According to Our Birgunj Correspondent, 17 persons, including two doctors and three patients of the Advance Hospital, Birgunj, have tested positive for COVID-19.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests of their swabs performed at PCR laboratory of Narayani Hospital, Birgunj showed them positive for the virus.
According to the PCR test report that came out Wednesday night, two doctors of the hospital and three patients receiving treatment at the hospital and 12 others were found with the virus infection, said Dr. Udaya Narayan Singh, coordinator of Narayani Hospital.
Meanwhile, in Dhangadhi, 26 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Kanchanpur in a single day on Thursday.
According to our Dhangadhi correspondent, out of total 258 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests performed at Seti Provincial Hospital in the last 24 hours, 26 persons were found with the virus infection.
Of the infected, five are women and 21 are men, said Dilip Kumar Shrestha, communication officer of Seti Provincial Hospital. As per the latest update, there are more than 4,000 active cases in Sudurpaschim State.