Pokhara, July 21
An elderly woman has died from COVID-19 in Pokhara, marking the first confirmed Covid-19 related fatality in the Gandaki Province in nearly two and a half years.
The 70-year-old woman had been receiving treatment at Charak Hospital after experiencing respiratory complications. She tested positive for Covid-19 on July 9 (Asar 25) and succumbed to the illness on July 19 (Shrawan 4), according to Khim Bahadur Khadka, Director General of the Gandaki Province Health Directorate.
In addition to Covid-19, the woman was also suffering from hypertension and diabetes, which worsened her condition, the directorate reported. Her diagnosis was confirmed through a PCR test conducted at the Gandaki Public Health Laboratory.
Officials have noted a recent uptick in Covid-19 cases in Gandaki Province. In the latest figures, five cases were reported in Kaski, two in Baglung, and one in Syangja — bringing the provincial total to eight.
“Covid-19 tests are being conducted at various institutions including the Provincial Public Health Laboratory, Western Regional Hospital, and Dhaulagiri Hospital in Baglung,” said Director General Khadka in an interview with Onlinekhabar. “Even mild symptoms in patients have been testing positive for Covid.”
This is the first confirmed Covid-19 death in Gandaki Province since the decline of the last major wave over two and a half years ago.
