With the second wave of the COVID-19 gripping the country and spreading at the community level, the districts of Karnali Province have recorded a large number of patients infected with the coronavirus.
In order to break the chain of infection, most businesses and schools have been closed since last week while a weeklong prohibitory order has been imposed in Surkhet from April 27. Other districts have also restricted non-essential gatherings and programmes.
The provincial government of Karnali has also taken tough steps on the entry of newcomers in the province from different entry points. Despite the government taking such steps, the infection rate has not come down.
In the past one week, the number of COVID-19 patients has increased by almost 75 per cent on a daily basis, said Director of Karnali Province Hospital Prof Dr Dambar Khadka. On Wednesday, the districts of Karnali recorded 311 new cases including 215 in Surkhet alone.
The hospitals in the districts are crowded with COVID-19 patients.
Dr Khadka said that lack of skilled human resources in such an emergency has affected service delivery. He added that 100 ICU beds could be operated if they are provided with skilled human resources to handle the equipment.
According to the recent update, the total caseload in the province has reached almost 9,000 while 39 people have died due to the COVID-19.
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