Kalpana Acharya\Kathmandu: In a first case of COVID-19 claiming the life of a pregnant woman in Nepal, a 23-year-old in her third trimester of pregnancy died today.

The woman was undergoing treatment at Narayani Hospital, Birgunj. The hospital said she was admitted after she complained of fever and respiratory problems.

The daily situation reports the Ministry of Health and Population has been preparing since the pandemic outbreak in the country shows not a single pregnant woman dying of COVID-19 as of August 26.

According to the World Health Organization, there is no evidence that pregnant women are at higher risk of severe illness than the general population. “Research is currently underway to understand the impacts of COVID-19 infection on pregnant women,” the agency says in its website.