Five more infected; coronavirus testing services being extended: IEDCR

Five more people tested positive with coronavirus (Covid-19) in Bangladesh, taking the number of the confirmed cases to 44, according to the IEDCR.

All the infected people are male, said Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora, director of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) at a briefing in Dhaka.

Of the five new confirmed cases, the age of two people is between 31 and 40 while two others 41 and 50 and the rest is 50 and 60.

Of the five patients, three have contracted with another patient while another came from abroad, Flora said, adding that the contract history of the rest person could not be known. 

11 people of out 44, who tested positive, were released from hospitals and five died from the virus, she said.

Now 28 people are taking treatment at different hospitals, the IEDCR director added.

She also said testing services are being extended.

"Now coronavirus tests will be done at Jonoshastho Institute, Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases in Chattogram," she said, adding that more institutions in divisional level will be added to the list soon.

The IEDCR director said that they have also extended their sample collection system. Earlier, only IEDCR team used to collect the samples but from now on, staff of the respective hospitals will collect the samples and sent those to IEDCR for test.

Those who left Dhaka following the closure of all educational institutions and offices must remain in 14-day home quarantine, she further said.