Nepal registers its first death from COVID-19

By Emre Aytekin

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AA) - Nepal's Health Ministry on Saturday registered its first death from COVID-19 pandemic.

A 29-year-old woman died from the novel coronavirus, the ministry said.

She gave birth on May 8 and applied to the hospital she had recently been discharged, and later tested positive for the virus, it added.

The hospital where the woman gave birth was then put under lockdown, and the village she lived in was quarantined, as part of measures to stem the spread of the disease in the country.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Nepal reached 281, while 36 patients have recovered in the country so far.

On May 6, the government extended the nationwide lockdown until May 18 and eased restrictions for commercial and farming activities.

Nepal went into lockdown on March 24, which was initially in effect until May 7.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 188 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed over 310,500 people, with total infections surpassing 4.61 million, while more than 1.66 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.