COVID-19 fatalities among Nepalis abroad hits 160

Although the official figure for mortality from COVID-19 in Nepal is 40, worldwide the virus has killed more than 160 Nepalis with 16 fatalities in just the past week.

According to Sanjiv Sapkota of the Health Committee of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), the fatalities have occurred in 14 countries. Counting Nepal, the number of Nepalis who have died has now reached 200.

Of the Nepalis abroad, 30,571 had been diagnosed with the disease, and of them 28,681 have recovered according to the NRNA. The highest rise in confirmed cases in the past week have occurred in India, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait with the four countries accouting for 950 new cases in a week.

The highest numbers of fatalities among Nepalis have occurred in the UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Ireland, Japan, Turkey, the Netherlands, Sweden, India and Oman.

Although 93% of all Nepalis who have been infected have recovered, there is a worrying rise of new cases as well a higher fatality rate in the Gulf region. This has been attributed to crowded dormitories, as well holding centres where the workers wait for repatriation flights.

NRNA with Nepal’s overseas embassies as well as the government have been flying back Nepalis stranded abroad from 25 countries. Since 15 January, 29,780 Nepalis have been repatriated.

The repatriation flights have also brought back 172 bodies of the 434 total bodies of Nepalis who have died abroad of COVID-19 as well as non-coronavirus causes.

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