Another death from Covid-19
A second person died from coronavirus in the country and four others were tested positive for the virus, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said yesterday.
Officials have so far confirmed 24 infections in the country, but admitted that the actual number could be much higher.
The deceased, aged over 70, had underlying health conditions and might have contracted the disease after coming into contact with a relative who returned from abroad, the minister told a press conference at Directorate General of Health Services in the capital.
At least 30 neighbour families of the victim have isolated themselves in the capital's Mirpur.
The first coronavirus case was confirmed in the country on March 8 and the first death on Wednesday.
Of the confirmed cases, three have recovered and 19 others are in hospitals.
Around 50 people are now in "institutional quarantine" and over 14,000 are in home quarantine across the country, the minister said.
Meanwhile, two Bangladeshis in the US and one in Italy have died after being tested positive for Covid-19. Besides, renowned mountaineer and activist Wasfia Nazreen has tested positive in the US.
The authorities are struggling to ensure that thousands of people who returned from abroad do not defy the quarantine order.
Between March 1 and March 18, at least 2,36,620 people arrived in Bangladesh. An overwhelming majority of them were not placed in quarantine or isolation.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque said, "Our situation is better than that of many European countries. However, we are not sitting idle ... We are watching the changes happening around the world and taking measures accordingly."
He, however, was criticised by many observers for holding the press conference in a crowded room, violating his own ministry's advice on social distancing.
STRICTER MEASURES
The minister said officials had collected particulars of returnees and sent those to the authorities concerned to track down the ones who went into hiding and then properly quarantine them at their homes.
Besides the already prepared hospitals, the Sheikh Rasel Gastroliver Institute and Hospital and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery are being readied for treating Covid-19 patients, he said.
Bangladesh Army was given the charge of quarantining people in Uttara's Diabari and Tongi Ijtema ground, he added.
To detect the virus, eight devices are being used at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research. "Seven new devices have arrived. They would be installed. But it may not be possible [to install] overnight."
Officials are working to prepare 100 ICU beds and eventually 400 beds would be readied, he added.
China has been providing masks, testing kits and other necessary equipment, he said.
If the prime minister approves, the authorities may hire Chinese experts who have experience in dealing with the epidemic in Wuhan. They will train Bangladeshi doctors and nurses and detect loopholes in the preparations made here, the minister said.
30 FAMILIES IN ISOLATION IN MIRPUR
The families are residents of a building in the capital's Mirpur where the latest victim lived.
"The family members of the 73-year-old have self-quarantined while the other residents of the building have reduced their movement to save themselves and others," said Mostaq Ahmed, deputy commissioner (Mirpur Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
"They asked for help and we are assisting them," he added.
They agreed that they would not leave home unless necessary. Only one member may leave taking proper safety measures and return home as quickly as possible, he added.
3 EXPATS DEAD
A Bangladeshi man in Italy's Milan died after being tested positive for Covid-19, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said yesterday.
He is the first Bangladeshi Covid-19 patient to die there.
The man, aged over 50, was from Noakhali and had other health conditions.
Two other Bangladeshis died in New York, reports Somoy TV.
Khan Shawkat, who works at the New York Police Department, said two elderly Bangladeshis, including one of his close friends, died from coronavirus on Thursday.
He said one Bangladeshi died in Astoria and the other in Wood Side areas.
WASFIA TESTED POSITIVE
Wasfia Nazreen on her Facebook page yesterday said she tested positive for coronavirus.
"I am now in quarantine (which I was already practicing after I flew into LA) with strict measures and watch over my breathing. I will just have to fight it out. Every day is a struggle," read her post.
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