Nepalese army personnel in PPE suits salute to pay tribute to COVID-19 victims before cremating their bodies near Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen.
Nepal reported 9,070 new confirmed cases on Thursday, compared to 298 a month ago. The number of fatalities also reached its highest with 58 on Wednesday and 54 on Thursday, for a total of 3,529.
'œRight now there are no beds available today in any hospital that is treating COVID patients," said Dr. Jyotindra Sharma, chief of Hospital for Advanced Medicine & Surgery in Kathmandu. 'œEven if any beds were made available, there is a huge scarcity of oxygen and we are not at the peak of this crisis."
At the hospital, one of the leading facilities in Nepal for treating COVID-19 patients, extra beds were crammed to accommodate more people. They've all been taken and the only way to get admitted is through a waiting list.
'œIn the extreme situation, people could be dying in the streets," Sharma said, adding it's "just not possible to immediately increase the capacity of the hospitals."
At the government-run Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, several COVID-19 patients were lying in beds set up on the veranda and hooked to oxygen cylinder. They're the lucky ones. Others were turned away because there's not enough space or equipment.
'œWe are under-prepared, under-resourced, and under-capacitated to perform any thing that is expected," said Dr. Bishal Dhakal, who has been working with coronavirus patients since the beginning of the pandemic.
A lockdown was imposed last month in major cities and towns, and Nepal this week stopped both domestic and international flights.
The government has pledged several times to increase the number of hospital beds and boost the treatment and preventive measures. However, there has not been any significant change.
Nepal began its vaccination campaign in January with 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca shots donated by India, but it had been suspended because of India's refusal to allow exports as its crisis worsened.
The vaccination resumed when China donated 800,000 doses, and Nepal is negotiating with Russia for supplies of the Sputnik V shots.
FILE - In this May 5, 2021, file photo, Nepalese men in personal protective suits cremate the bodies of COVID-19 victims while others extend the crematorium as the number of deaths rise near Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities extended a lockdown in the capital Kathmandu and surrounding districts by another week as the Himalayan nation recorded the highest COVID-19 daily infections and deaths. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
The Associated Press
Family members watch as Nepalese army personnel in PPE suits salute to pay tribute to the COVID-19 victims before cremating their bodies near Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
A COVID-19 patient arrives on a wheelchair as others are lying down on beds outside an emergency ward of a government run hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
Family members watch as Nepalese army personnel in PPE suits prepare the bodies of COVID-19 victims for cremation near Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
Staff member of a government run hospital checks to refill the empty oxygen cylinders in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
A Nepalese paramedic wheels in an oxygen cylinder as a COVID-19 patient rests on a bed in the corridor of a government run hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
Nepalese workers wearing personal protective suits place the body of a COVID-19 victim on a funeral pyre for cremation on the banks of Bagmati river in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
Nepalese paramedics treat a COVID-19 patient outside an emergency ward of a government run hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
Family members wait to receive the body of a COVID-19 victim outside a government run hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
A COVID-19 patient receives oxygen in an ambulance outside an emergency ward of a hospital as he waits for an intensive care bed to be allotted in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
A family member throws a garland to pay tributes to her relatives who died of COVID-19 at a crematorium near Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
A Nepalese paramedic moves away an empty oxygen cylinder as a COVID-19 patient lies on a bed outside an emergency ward of a government run hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 7, 2021. Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press