By Sampada A. Khatiwada , Kathmandu, Apr. 23 : The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) on Thursday confirmed 2,365 new cases of COVID-19, taking the nation's novel coronavirus tally to 292,152.

According to the MoHP's daily update, 2,220 new infections were recorded in 10,001 RT-PCR tests, and 63 cases were recorded in 447 antigen tests done at health desks in various border points. The nation's daily infection rate is currently at 12.2 per cent.

Of the new infections, 167 were recorded in Province 1, 90 in province 2, 1,411 in Bagmati Province, 40 in Gandaki Province, 558 in Lumbini Province, two in Karnali Province and 97 in Sudurpaschim Province.
Four districts, including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Banke and Rupandehi currently have more than 500 active cases of the virus.

Currently, there are 12,690 active cases of COVID-19 across the nation. Of them, 11,675 are placed in home isolation while 1,015 are receiving treatment in various institutional isolations. Likewise, 81 people, mostly those who had returned from abroad, are placed in quarantine. 

Of the active patients, 170 are admitted to the ICU and 59 are receiving treatment with a ventilator facility. A total of 396 virus-infected patients are admitted to the hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley of which, 52 are in ICU and 38 are under ventilator.

Meanwhile, 252 COVID-19 patients recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours. Nepal has now recorded 276,345 cases of recovery and the recovery rate is at 94.6 per cent.

Likewise, five people succumbed to the virus infection in the last 24 hours. The nation's COVID-19 death count is currently at 3,117 and the death rate is 1.1 per cent.
Record 337 cases reported in Banke

Meanwhile, according to our Banke Correspondent, the number of people being detected with the novel coronavirus has been increasing daily in Banke, which has, of late, been a COVID-19 hotspot.

In RT-PCR tests done via three laboratories in the last 24 hours, a record 337 people were found to be infected with the virus, informed the District COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre, Banke. Tej Oli, focal person of the centre, said,

"This is the highest single-day tally recorded by Banke till now after 322 COVID-19 cases registered three days earlier."

Currently, there are 1,402 active cases of COVID-19 in the district. Of them, 221 are admitted to Bheri Hospital and Nepalgunj Medical College.

"Of those under treatment in institutional isolation, the health condition of 58 patients, including 38 in Bheri Hospital and 20 in Nepalgunj Medical College is critical.

Also, all the hospital beds have been filled with the virus patients," said Oli, adding that many patients were in queue outside the hospital waiting for isolation beds. Nine patients in Bheri Hospital are under treatment with the ventilator facility.

Following the surge in COVID-19 cases, the local administration has imposed a lockdown in Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City till April 28.

"We were compelled to enforce the shutdown in order to break the chain of infection," said Shivaram Gelal, coordinator of the crisis management centre.