Swab collection slows in Sudurpaschim State

Kathmandu - Swab sample collection in Sudurpaschim State has slowed amidst calls for increasing its scope to effectively deal with COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to follow standards to collect swabs--swab collection of only suspicious persons and those who are RDT positive and have come in contact with the infected, which causes this situation, said Narendra Singh Karki, Chief of the Health Division, the Ministry of Social Development.

Only 601 swab samples were collected in the past two weeks against 500 to 600 samples collected on a daily basis two weeks ago, according to data with the Ministry. Until Saturday, 911 samples remain to be tested as the pressure of swabs collected for a test has been decreasing, said the Ministry. The number of new infection cases is decreasing. On Saturday, only three new infection cases were found in Kanchanpur, taking the caseload to 3,758 in the State.

To date, Kailali is ahead in terms of the tested positive cases. The case tally in the district has reached 994 followed by 592 in Achham, 535 in Doti, 446 each in Bajura and Kanchanpur, 298 in Baitadi, 269 in Darchula, 159 in Bajura and 19 in Doti. Kailali perhaps reports the highest cases throughout the country.

According to Regional Health Director Dr Gunaraj Awasthi, the fall in the number of people arriving from India and the quarantine dwellers might have the reason behind the slowing infection rates. "The swab collection is relatively slowed down these days as we are not updated where are those arriving via border points heading towards.

We are preparing to take swab samples from the suspected ones of quarantine facilities in the State within the next four or five days," he said. Health workers do not deny the risk of virus spread to the community in absence of proper management of those moving in the country from border. Till Saturday, the State-wide death toll from the deadly virus has reached eight. The State had reported the first case on March 27.