A woman sheds tears as she mourns her family member who died of COVID-19 in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on Aug. 30, 2020. The Nepali government on Sunday confirmed record high deaths from COVID-19 and the record daily spike in cases in a single day. "A total of 14 persons died in the last 24 hours taking the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 221," said Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Population at a press conference on Sunday. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

 
The Nepali government on Friday reported record high COVID-19 cases in the second consecutive day as the country confirmed 1,354 new cases.

"With the addition of 1,354 new cases in the last 24 hours, the total COVID-19 cases in Nepal reached 44,236," said Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population at a press conference.

After Nepal lifted the nearly four-month long lockdown in late July, there has been a sudden rise in COVID-19 cases. The Nepali authorities blamed ignoring the health protocol as a major reason behind the surge in the cases.

"The infection among elderly people and women has been rising," Suresh Tiwari, a senior official at Nepal's Health Ministry, said at a recent press briefing. "Around 96 percent of the cases are now locally transmitted."

The capital of Kathmandu has emerged as a key hotspot of the pandemic in the country with 454 cases identified in the city in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry.

Meanwhile, Nepal also reported 14 new deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 271.