Kathmandu, Aug. 9 -- On Friday morning, a man reached Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital. He wanted to inquire about the ambulance service. Not aware of who actually he was supposed to talk to, he had an altercation with the security guards. His gripe was that no one had sent an ambulance to pick him up.

Health workers at the hospital had taken his swab sample on Wednesday for a polymerase chain reaction test. The same evening officials at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division called him to inform him that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and that an ambulance would be sent to pick him up to take him to hospital.

"After waiting for two days at home for an ambulance, the man came to hospital on Friday," a...