COVID-19: Nepal Records First Fatality

A 29-year-old woman who recently delivered a baby has been reported as Nepal's first fatality from the novel coronavirus.

The patient who resided in the Sindhupalchowk district, which lies 90 km away from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, was en route to the hospital for treatment when she passed on.

Speaking on the matter was the health ministry's deputy spokesperson, Samir Kumar Adhikari, who said, “It has been proven that is this the first case of death caused by COVID-19 in Nepal."

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The patient, unnamed, had been at a hospital in Kathmandu where she had her baby, returning home a day after the delivery.

She received care at a local hospital after she came down with a respiratory illness, with her health condition debilitating, she was sent to another hospital.

According to news media in Nepal, the woman's family and baby will be tested for the virus.

An epidemiologist, Lhamo Sherpa, on whether this is Nepal's first death or a lack of adequate testing kits and little contact tracing has made it impossible to identify people suffering from the disease.

Lhamo said, “I don’t think this is the first death. There have been cases of deaths where similar symptoms were seen, but the cause was unclear.

“There need to be more tests, contact tracing… and more transparency.”