The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has said two coronavirus patients, who were previously found to be negative, will be allowed to go home as a second test confirmed that they were virus-free.
“We received the results of the second test on Wednesday evening. The results confirmed that they were negative. Therefore, they will go home today,” IEDCR Principal Scientific Officer Dr ASM Alamgir told the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday.
Earlier on Wednesday, IEDCR said new test results of two among three patients earlier found positive with coronavirus infection have now been shown to be negative.
"According to World Health Organization (WHO) protocol and discussions with experts, the patients will be released if a second test shows negative results as well. They will undergo the second test after 24-hours," IEDCR Director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora said at a press conference in Dhaka.
As there have been complaints about IEDCR’s 12 hotline numbers being unreachable or remaining busy, IEDCR has introduced a new hunting number – 01944333222, through which callers will be transferred to the hotline numbers that are available.
“We have received 3,225 calls in the last 24 hours on the hotline, of which 3,145 were related to coronavirus. During that period of time, a total of 24 people went to IEDCR for service and of them samples from 10 were tested.”
About people who are suspicious of being infected, Meerjady requested offices to encourage employees to work from home for fourteen days.
Of the Bangladeshis infected, 5 are in Singapore, 2 in Italy and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among the 5 in Singapore, 4 have been cured and are now safely home. One is still in critical condition and is in ICU.
About 4,500 people have died so far worldwide. As of Wednesday, there were more than 1,100 confirmed infections in the United States and 32 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
On March 8, Bangladesh confirmed its first three patients of Covid-19, while three other people, who had been in close contact with the infected trio, have also been quarantined.
Bangladeshis returning from six countries — China, Italy, South Korea, Singapore, Iran and Thailand — have been asked to remain in self-quarantine for 14 days from the day of their arrival.
