Published on 01:05 PM, March 19, 2020

4 new coronavirus cases detected

Test facilities to be extended to all divisions except Barishal: DGHS

This illustration shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Photo: AP

Four new persons were diagnosed with coronavirus in Bangladesh.

Of them, three were diagnosed with Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services said in the morning.

Another case of coronavirus was detected in Chuadanga, ASM Maruf Hasan, civil surgeon of the district, said this afternoon.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country is now 18.

DG of DGHS, addressing a press briefing, said a 22-year-old woman, a 32-year-old man and a 65-year-old man are the new patients.

They are all members of the family of one Italy-returnee, he added.

Among the trio, the woman showed only minor symptoms. She is under local quarantine, the director general said.

The other two have been hospitalised.

The person diagnosed with coronavirus in Chuadanga had returned from Italy on March 12, civil surgeon of Chuadanga said at a press conference this afternoon.

The patient has been kept in quarantine, he said.

Virus transmission has not yet reached the level of community-transmission, the DG of DGHS said.

The total number of tests conducted by Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) so far is 366. In the last 24 hours, 25 tests were done.

The DG also said that test facilities will be extended to all divisions in the country except Barishal.

A total of 500 new personal protective equipment (PPE) were supplied to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and 1,000 were supplied to Chattogram Medical College Hospital.

The collection of one lakh test kits and five lakh PPE is under process.