Within 10 days of the first case of coronavirus being reported in the country, the number of infected people climbed to 17 on Thursday with three fresh cases.
The Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Dr Abul Kalam Azad, revealed the three positive cases at a regular press briefing at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in Dhaka’s Mohakhali.
Meanwhile, Dr ASM Maruf, civil surgeon of Chuadanga district and member secretary of the corona prevention committee, at an emergency press briefing at his office said a young man had tested positive for Covid-19 in Chuadanga.
The new patients identified by the IEDCR are family members of an expatriate who recently returned from Italy, the DGHS DG said. He added that the female patient, 22, was in institutional quarantine while the two males, aged 32 and 65, were undergoing treatment in hospital.
A total of 12 infected people are undergoing treatment in hospital. Of them, four are fighting for life as they have comorbidity (other lifelong diseases).
Earlier on Wednesday, with the death of a 70-year-old man, Bangladesh recorded its first death from Covid-19, which has spread to at least 160 countries around the world. Three others were released after being cured.
Meanwhile, 43 others have also been under institutional quarantine over suspected symptoms of Covid-19. Besides, 19, including the 12 confirmed cases, were kept in isolation in a hospital in the city.
Replying to a question over the traffic on hotlines, Prof Azad said the hotlines might be busy as they were not IVR (Interactive Voice Response) connected.
He requested all to message the IEDCR control room Facebook page – iedcr, covid-19 control room or email to [email protected] if anyone was suspected to be infected with the virus.
The professor also requested to call 16263, 333 and its hunting number 01944333222 that will connect any of the assigned numbers if found free.
“We have so far registered 500 physicians and they will suggest and treat you if you need any help from them,” the DG said.
The integrated control room of the DGHS has noted that some 25,916 calls were made over the last 24 hours while the IEDCR received some 4,501 calls and 16263 received some 20,213 calls, with some 33 calls made at 333.
As of now, over 8,900 people have died across the world from the virus, which first broke out in China's Wuhan last December.
According to worldometer, around 225,404 have been infected by Covid-19, a new strain of coronavirus, while 9,277 have died and 85,831 people have recovered from it. Some 171 countries have already been affected, it said.
Meanwhile, several district correspondents of Dhaka Tribune have reported that the civil surgeons of the districts had received the list of those who returned in March and were disseminating the lists to the administration to find them out and quarantine them.
