By South Asia Monitor/IBNS | @justearthnews | 19 May 2021, 07:48 am Print
Nepal COVID19 Image: Unsplash
Authorities in Nepal have started community bases mass Antigen testing for Covid-19 in the capital, Kathmandu, which remained one of the worst affected places in the Himalayan country. Areas with high population density and vegetable markets will be covered in this drive.
The mass testing drive is being conducted by the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (ECDC) and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), reported The Himalayan Times.
Experts believe the real extent of the spread of the virus is not being shown in official data.
“Any COVID-19 case confirmed through community-based tests should be considered alarming as even those testing positive would normally be aware of its condition.” Dhan Pradhan Paudyal, the medical technologist of the ECDC, was quoted as saying by the Himalayan Times.
That's why we are planning to conduct more antigen tests in the coming days, he added. The plan is to conduct over 10,000 tests in a day, including 7000 in the Kathmandu district, he informed.
Hospitals and overall health infrastructure in the country have come under tremendous pressure. Many hospitals are even struggling to get sufficient oxygen supply.
The government has been cooperating with the WHO and the World Bank, seeking their assistance in curbing the spread.
- 10-hour eating window may be enough for modest weight loss, study finds
- Loneliness could cut healthy years of life by nearly six years: Study
- Ultra-processed food warning: Every extra 100g linked to higher health risks, study finds
- Sugar in first 1,000 days may shape anxiety risk in adulthood, scientists find
- Drinking sugary beverages every day? New study raises red flag on stomach cancer
