UN Appeals for Funds to Help Nepal Deal With COVID-19 

GENEVA - The United Nations is appealing for nearly $84 million for assistance to 750,000 people in Nepal suffering from a devastating COVID-19 surge.

In many ways, the outbreak in Nepal may be even worse than the destructive surge that has engulfed neighboring India. The United Nations said Friday that Nepal had roughly the same number of daily cases per capita as India, but with a much weaker health system incapable of dealing with the crisis. The World Health Organization said Nepal has had nearly 500,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 6,000 deaths. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the number of cases was escalating rapidly. It said cases had risen from 150 a day in early April to more than 8,000 cases a day since May 5.