Dozens Came Down With COVID-19 on Everest. Nepal Says It Never Happened. Bhadra Sharma and Emily Schmall, New York Times June 27, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail This photograph taken on May 31, 2021 shows mountaineers lined up as they climb a slope during their ascend to summit Mount Everest in Nepal. (Photo by Lakpa SHERPA / AFP)LAKPA SHERPA/AFP via Getty Images KATHMANDU, Nepal — In April at Mount Everest base camp, where climbers acclimatize to the extreme altitude before heading to the summit of the world’s highest peak, Jangbu Sherpa fell ill with a cough and fever. At 17,590 feet, his symptoms quickly worsened. The expedition company that had hired Sherpa to help a Bahraini prince climb Everest had him airlifted to a hospital in the capital, Kathmandu, where he tested positive for COVID-19.