COVID-19 Cases Pop Up Again at Teku Hospital, But No Major Concern

Kathmandu, Nepal – In the last week, five people tested positive for COVID-19 at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, also known as Teku Hospital.

Dr. Yuvanidhi Basaula, the hospital’s director, confirmed that five individuals were found to be infected after showing symptoms like fever. “However, these patients are not sick enough to need to be admitted to the hospital,” he said.

Doctors advised these patients to self-isolate at home.

One Patient Admitted

One COVID-19 patient, however, has been admitted to a private room at Teku Hospital. “This patient was referred from a private hospital in Kathmandu four days ago,” Dr. Basaula told Media. “We are treating them in a cabin, and their health is improving.”

Current Situation and Expert Opinions

According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), there are currently 16 active COVID-19 cases across Nepal.

Dr. Chandrabhal Jha, director of EDCD, stated that the increase in COVID-19 cases in India has had some impact on Nepal. “A few days ago, some people coming from India tested positive during checks at border areas,” Dr. Jha said. “But currently, no new cases are being reported from those checks.”

Teku Hospital continues to offer COVID-19 vaccines at its emergency department to help prevent infections.

Public health experts say that while COVID-19 is no longer a widespread epidemic, it will likely continue to circulate in society like a common illness. In the past five years, over 12,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Nepal.

Dr. Rajiv Shrestha, head of the Molecular and Genomic Sequencing Research Lab at Dhulikhel Hospital, explains that since COVID-19 has become an established disease, it’s normal for sporadic cases to appear from time to time, similar to the flu, cholera, or measles.

“COVID-19 will remain with us like a common cold, cholera, or measles. We need to stay alert about it,” Dr. Shrestha advises. “To protect ourselves from infection and severe effects from new variants, people should get vaccinated.”