Weeks after the COVID-19 explosion in India grabbed headlines around the world, hospitals in Nepal seem to be struggling to cope with rising Covid cases in the country, reported The Kathmandu Post. 

“As the number of infections has been increasing, the health system is not able to cope and a situation has already arisen in which hospital beds cannot be made available," Nepal’s health ministry released a statement this week.

For the last few days, the country consistently reported over 5000 cases daily. Unlike the first wave, the younger population, this time, too, seems vulnerable.

Hospitals in Kathmandu Valley witnessed a huge increase in patients requiring ICU beds. People with moderate symptoms are being asked to stay in their respective homes. 

The government delayed response to the surge came under heavy criticism by the opposition parties in the country. 

Bishwa Prakash Sharma, the spokesperson for the main opposition party National Congress, issued a press release saying that the government's remarks not only reflected its helplessness but also its irresponsible behavior. 

The government, he claimed, spent the whole last year in managing its own party affairs, dissolved the country’s parliament, and failed to prepare the country for the impending second wave. 

Some parties in the country also suggested the government set up temporary Covid care centers in districts with high positivity rates. The government should also take help from the Nepali Army and the Police, they say.