Nepal reports first COVID-related death in three months, logs in over new daily 100 cases

New Delhi: Nepal on Tuesday reported the first COVID-19-related death in the last three months and detected 106 new cases of the virus in the past 24 hours, a week after the Himalayan nation confirmed the detection of the new Omicron variant "XBB1.16". The country-wide death toll reached 12,021 with the addition of the lone death, The Ministry of Health and Population said during its regular briefing on Tuesday.

The country confirmed 74 positive cases from the 476 Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests done in the past 24 hours. The ministry also said that out of the 1,960 Antigen tests conducted, 32 people were infected with SARS-CoV-2.

A total of 48 recoveries were also recorded during the same period. Currently, there are 469 active COVID-19 cases across the country.

Nepal on April 3 confirmed the detection of a new Omicron variant of COVID-19 identified as "XBB1.16".

The Ministry said it cautioned its citizens after the XBB1.6 variant's detection, which has been identified and spreading in neighbouring India.

"A new variant of Omicron 'XBB1.16', spreading in the neighbouring country India, has also been detected in Nepal. So far, 10 of the 24 samples tested by the Health Ministry have been confirmed," Dr Sameer Kumar Adhikari, deputy spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, said.

According to the ministry, to identify the molecular genetic changes in COVID-19, 24 PCR and antigen-positive samples were collected in March at the National Public Health Laboratory through random sampling.

During its April 3 briefing, the Ministry also urged people to not neglect symptoms of cough, cold, and running nose, and to stay in isolation if these symptoms are observed.