State-1 sees 12 media personnel infected by pandemic, 11 are from State capital

By Birat Anupam, Kathmandu -  A total of 12 media persons have been infected with the coronavirus in State-1, said Secretary General of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) State-1 Committee Bibek Gautam. According to Gautam, nine working journalists and three employees in the media houses are tested positive for the virus. ''Out of nine journalists, one journalist who was from Udayapur district is already recovered'', said Gautam.

He added, “Others are undergoing treatment in Biratnagar. None of them is in critical condition.'' All infected media persons are in different isolations including home isolation. All 11 infected media person are from the State capital in Biratnagar. ''Five persons are in Baijanathapur Isolation Center of Biratnaghar-19, one is in isolation of Marwari Sewa Sadan of Biratnagar-7,” Guatam added. Six others are in home isolation.

Since its first batch of 12 cases seen on April 21 at Bhulke of Triyuga Municipality in Udayapur district, State-1 has now 1907 cases as of Sunday morning. Corona Information Desk of the State-1 Government shared that 1,075 individuals have been discharged after being recovered.

Likewise, 13 patients have succumbed to the pandemic as of Sunday morning, the Desk officials shared. State-1 has four functioning Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing facilities at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences of Dharan, Koshi Zonal Hospital and Avian Disease Investigation Laboratory of Biratnagar and Mechi Hospital of Jhapa. State-1 is carrying daily PCR tests of more than 1,500 throat swab samples, Chief of Health Division at the Social development Ministry of the State-1 Dr. Suresh Mehta said.