The fatal coronavirus has also touched the world's highest peak – Mount Everest. A Norwegian climber Eriend Ness was infected with the virus and was evacuated by helicopter from the Everest's base camp.
Further, a Sherpa, belonging to the Tibetan ethnic group native to the Himalayas who was working with Ness also tested positive.
As per reports, medical professionals initilly suspected that Ness had pulmonary edema, a condition where the air sacs in the lungs fill with fluid that is often associated with altitude sickness. Ness had tested negative before starting his journey.
"I really hope that none of the others get infected … high up in the mountains. It is impossible to evacuate people with a helicopter when they're above 8,000 metres," said Ness to The Hill.
"Breathing is already difficult at high altitudes, so any outbreak of disease among climbers presents urgent health risks," added Ness.
According to the guidelines of Nepal, climbers quarantine prior to trekking to the Everest base camp, however, some still raised concerns because of how closely the symptoms of COVID-19 can mimic altitude sickness, such as in Ness's case, ANI reported.
Nepal has issued 377 permits this year to climb Everest, The Hill reported.
