By Ajita Rijal

Kathmandu, Apr. 6: The Ministry of Health and Population has decided to conduct test for COVID-19 through Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) in Baglung, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts. As per the decision of the Cabinet meeting held on Saturday, the MoHP has decided to conduct RDT at a large-scale as a way to mitigate the risk of coronavirus spread in the community.
Speaking at a daily media briefing on Sunday, Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at MoHP, said, “If the result for COVID-19 came out positive through RDT again the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method will be conducted to verify the result.”
A meeting of a team comprising the representatives of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), Nepal Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) and Nepal Health Research Council on Sunday decided for conducting the test for COVID-19 through RDT method.
“The team also provided orientation for the health workers and is preparing to deploy them in the districts today itself,” said Dr Devkota.
The government is preparing for mass testing as three more COVID-19 cases in Kailali and Kanchanpur, including the first case of local transmission, were reported from Kailali on Saturday.
No COVID-19 among
Kharipati quarantined
The MoHP informed that coronavirus infection was not found in any of the 94 returnees who were quarantined at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Training Centre in Kharipati, Bhaktapur.
Dr Devkota informed that the swab samples of all those who were quarantined at Kharipati were found negative, Sunday. The NPHL has conducted specimen test of the quarantined returnees. Earlier, 175 Nepali students, who were airlifted by the government from Hubei Province’s Wuhan city, China, were also quarantined at Kharipati and they all had tested negative for COVID-19.
Appeal for providing
valid contact details
The returnees must abide by quarantine rules and regulations to not allow the community transmission. For this the government is putting its efforts for the management of quarantines to the returnees. The returnees are asked to come in contact with the authorities who can help them settle at the quarantine.
On the occasion, Dr Devkota asked all the returnees to provide valid contact details. “The contact tracing is being difficult as some of the returnees had provided invalid details,” said Dr Devkota.
Some of the addresses and phone numbers provided by the returnees are not valid which has created problem for the authorities in proper contact tracing, said Dr Devkota.
The ministry has noticed 24 more coronavirus suspects through its website and mobile apps on Sunday. “We have suspected 24 respondents as vulnerable to COVD -19 and added them to red zone,” said Dr Devkota, adding the procedure of tracing was being carried out by the concerned department.
Dr Devkota also urged the entire virus suspected people for providing valid details through apps and website which would ease authorities in tracing.
Laboratory test
According to MoHP, 252 sample tests for the COVID-19 have been carried out in last 24 hours. Among the tested, no positive case for COVID-19 was detected on Sunday, said Dr Devkota. The NPHL has so far tested 1521 samples of COVID-19 suspected as of Sunday afternoon.
Dr Devkota informed that 12 COVID-19 suspected were kept in isolation ward in Kathmandu and 113 were in hospitals outside the valley.
Till date, nine persons have tested positive for COVID-19. Three new cases were reported on Saturday. The first identified case has recovered and resumed normal life, while the remaining eight are undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile in Dhulikhel, the Dhulikhel Hospital has started test for COVID-19. According to the hospital, it has carried out swab test of 11 coronavirus suspects on Sunday.
According to Dr Suman Tamrakar of Dhulikhel Hospital, the specimen of 11 had been tested on Sunday. The hospital will carry out COVID-19 tests on Sunday and Wednesday, said Dr Tamrakar.
“The result will be made public after MoHP verification,” said Dr Tamrakar.
Meanwhile in Bhairahawa, the operation of state level lab for the test of coronavirus started on Sunday.
The lab was set up to widen the scope for the virus test. The lab was set up in two days by the team of expert technicians, Dr Rajendra Kumar Giri, acting chief of the lab, said.
According to Dr Giri, around 16 tests can be carried out at a time in the lab. “We would increase the capacity of the lab as per the need,” said Dr Giri.
Spokesperson at State Health Directorate Roshan Lal Chaudhary informed that the lab test would begin soon in Rapti Health Science Academy in Dang and Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj.