With hospitals across the country overwhelmed amid the worst coronavirus wave yet, Health Minister Zahid Maleuqe says it is not the time to expand the health system’s capacity but to reduce the infection rate.
“Covid patients have increased seven times in the last two months,” he told the media on Saturday while launching a field hospital in Dhaka.
Also Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh records 261 more deaths; 8,136 new cases
“The hospitals can no longer take the huge pressure of Covid patients,” he said before adding Bangladesh is in a precarious state after one-and-half years into the pandemic.
Not a single seat was empty out of the 6,000 hospital beds across the country in the past four days, when Bangladesh counted 1,000 virus deaths, said Maleque.
“And the hospitals also have to treat non-Covid patients. Moreover, dengue cases are also on the rise,” he said.
Also Read: Maleque: Bangladesh will buy 60 million more Sinopharm vaccine doses from China
The minister expressed concern over the increase in the number of females being infected.
“Now the infection and death rate among women are 45%, up from something between 20% and 25% earlier.”
People do not get infected at the hospitals and clinics, according to the minister.
“It happens on the roads, shops, ferries, factories and villages. Doctors and nurses can’t control buses, ferries and factories,” he added.
Also Read: Alarming rise in younger Covid deaths
Bangladesh is grappling to contain a dramatic surge of infections and deaths induced by the highly contagious Delta variant, first identified in India.
On Saturday, the health authorities reported 261 fatalities, taking the toll to 22,411.
The caseload climbed to 1,343,396 after 8,136 people tested positive for the virus.
