Virus death toll in Nepal passes 100, cases over 26,000

Experts warn peak yet to come as infections, fatalities continue to spike after lockdown was lifted in mid-July

By Deepak Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AA) – The coronavirus death toll in Nepal has crossed 100 and the number of cases is now over 26,000, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Three more fatalities over the past 24 hours have raised the death toll to 102, while infections increased by 468 to reach 26,019, ministry spokesperson Jageshwar Gautam said at a news briefing.

Nepal lifted a four-month nationwide lockdown on July 21, citing a decline in the daily number of cases.

However, infections have surged after the move, with fatalities having more than doubled over the past three weeks.

In view of the worsening situation, the government has put off plans to resume international flights from Aug. 17, extending the suspension until at least Sept. 1.

Health experts have warned that infections will peak in Nepal over the coming weeks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed nearly 767,000 lives in at least 188 countries and regions since last December.

Over 21.25 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the highest numbers in the US, Brazil, India, and Russia, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows more than half of all patients worldwide – over 13.28 million – have recovered so far.

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