Nepal confirms 2nd positive case of COVID-19

Speaking to the media the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed that a Nepali national, a female student, who flew in from France to Nepal via Qatar has been tested positive.

"The girl who arrived in Nepal on March 17 was tested positive in a report that came out yesterday," Minister for Health and Population Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal said in the press meet.

He informed that the patient is undergoing treatment in an isolation ward at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital based in Teku, Kathmandu.

The teenager was in home quarantine after the return, while her swab and nasal tests were done following some health complaints including fever and sore throat that matched the symptoms of the virus.

Minister Dhakal said that the family members and people who were in close contact or met the girl have also been kept in quarantine. He further informed that the ministry is trying to track the details of other passengers who had shared the same flight.

Nepal had so far reported only a single case of the novel coronavirus in a student who had returned from central China's Wuhan in January, who has since recovered and has been discharged.

Besides the first recovered case, on March 22, Nepal had so far tested 571 samples all have come out negative, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.

The Nepalese government has launched stringent measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic, including the closure of all border points, suspension of all international flights and closure of offices except the emergency ones.