More frontline fighters are contracting Covid-19 every day as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to run rampant in Bangladesh.
Doctors, nurses, medical staff, police, journalists, administration officials and the armed forces have all suffered a significant number of casualties during the ongoing pandemic.
8,149 healthcare professionals infected, 122 doctors dead
A total of 122 doctors of different government, private, and specialized hospitals have so far died from or with symptoms of Covid-19, according to the Bangladesh Medical Association.
Among the deceased, 120 are doctors and two are dental surgeons.
Paediatrician Dr Md Anwarul Karim, a life member of the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and director of Nibedita Shishu Hospital, became the latest health professional to fall victim to Covid-19 when he died on December 25.
As of December 24, a total 2,885 doctors, 1,979 nurses, and 3,285 other medical staff have been infected with the novel coronavirus, mostly while treating, collecting test samples, or providing other medical services to patients at various hospitals and clinics.
The highest number of infected doctors, 829, were reported in Dhaka, followed by 492 in Chittagong and 349 in Sylhet.
A total of 793 nurses and 460 other medical staff tested positive for Covid-19 in Dhaka.
82 police dead, over 18,000 infected
Data compiled by police headquarters shows that 82 police officers have died from Covid-19, so far, and 18,811 had been infected as of Sunday. Among the infected, 317 are currently undergoing treatment.
Out of the police officials infected with Covid-19, six are additional inspector generals of police, 10 are deputy inspector generals, 19 are additional deputy inspector generals, 112 are superintendents of police, 187 are additional police supers, and 228 are assistant police supers.
The list of infected includes 957 inspectors, 3007 sub-inspectors, 2835 assistant sub-inspectors, 550 nayeks, 8,823 constables and 2,077 in other posts.
A total of 3,178 policemen from Dhaka Metropolitan Police have been infected with Covid-19, including 25 who have died and 42 who are undergoing treatment.
File photo: Police personnel flag down rickshaw pullers and motorcycle riders at Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka on Friday, March 27, 2020 | Rajib Dhar/Dhaka TribuneNearly 16,000 members of Armed Forces infected
A total of 15,902 members of the Armed Forces, including those who are in service, retired and their family members as well, have been infected with Covid-19 as of November 14.
Among them, 199 have died – 20 current members of the Armed Forces and 179 retired military officers.
The Inter Services Public Relation Directorate (ISPR) in a statement also said 15,228 members of the Armed Forces have already recovered and 475 of them are undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital.
Over 1,100 journalists test positive for Covid-19
At least 29 journalists have died from Covid-19 and 1,112 have been infected with the deadly coronavirus in Bangladesh. Among them, 1,024 have recovered.
Another 12 journalists had died with Covid-19 like symptoms as of December 27, according to the Our Media, Our Rights platform.
Of the total number of confirmed cases among journalists, the highest 804 were reported in Dhaka and 308 in other districts. The journalists represent 202 media houses, including 123 newspapers, 32 television channels, 40 internet news portals, five radio stations, and two news agencies.
Covid-19 in Bangladesh at a glance
Bangladesh has so far registered 7,479 fatalities from Covid-19 since the first death was reported on March 18.
The country had also logged a total of more than 510,000 coronavirus cases as of 11:00am on Tuesday, according to Bangladesh Doctors' Foundation (BDF), a platform of around 100,000 doctors and medical students.
The first three cases of Covid-19 in Bangladesh were confirmed on March 8.
Covid-19 is a severe acute respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus strain named Sars-CoV-2.
The novel coronavirus broke out in China's Wuhan city in late December last year and quickly spread throughout the world, becoming a pandemic in less than three months.
Bangladesh now ranks 27th in the list of countries worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of the number of confirmed cases, according to data compiled by Worldometer.