MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2020) Nepal confirmed its first coronavirus-related death after analyzing nasal and throat swabs from a woman who had recently given birth and who died on her way to the hospital, the country's Health Ministry said in a statement.
"A detailed investigation and a series of tests show that this is the first death due to Covid-19 in the country," the Health Ministry's deputy spokesperson, Dr. Sameer Kumar Adhikari, said in a statement quoted by Nepal's The Kathmandu Post daily on Saturday.
The 29-year old woman gave birth on May 6 and was discharged the next day with both the mother and the baby in good health. Shortly after returning to her home village, the woman reported a fever and respiratory difficulties, according to the Health Ministry. She died on her way to the Dhulikhel Hospital, where she was referred to on May 14.
According to Nepal's Health Ministry, there are now 281 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, including the fatality confirmed on Saturday.
Earlier this month, the government of Nepal decided to extend the nationwide coronavirus-related isolation regime until May 18 over a growing number of those infected with COVID-19. Nepal has been on lockdown since March 24.
