KATHMANDU May 20 : As many as 2,599 people have died in the 36 days since April. According to a statement released by the Ministry of Health and Population on Wednesday afternoon, 246 people have lost their lives so far in the last 24 hours.

Experts claim that more deaths have been reported due to lack of timely oxygen, ICU and ventilator. “Half of the deaths appear to have been caused by untimely medical care,” said Dr. Krishna Kumar, a former director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD).

The total number of deaths was 3,061 when three people died due to the infection on Baishakh 1. In the first week of Baishakh, the number of deaths in one day reached double digits, or 10, and after Baishakh 27, the death toll rose to three digit, or more than 100. ‘The death toll from corona virus in the second wave has more than doubled every week,’ said senior public health expert Dr. Rajendra BC, “This was not the case in the first wave of Covid last year.”

Former EDCD director Dr. Thakur said that many infected people died due to non-availability of medical services in time. “If proper services had been provided in time, Covid could have saved about half of those who died,” he said. Dr. Thakur also said that some of the infected people may have died at home without being diagnosed with the disease. ‘Analysis of deaths registered in municipalities across the country for a month and a half is necessary. About 90 percent of deaths may be related to covid, ‘he said.

Although the number of infections has remained almost the same in the past two weeks, the death toll has more than tripled. While 8,605 people were found infected on Baishakh 22, 58 people had died, while the death toll has risen to 246 when 8,064 people were found infected on Wednesday. The number of active infected has reached 114,368. Corona has so far claimed the lives of 5,657 people.