For the past few weeks Bangladesh has been experiencing an unprecedented rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths across the country.
In the past three months, people from all walks of life, of all ages and belonging to different social segments of society have more or less been laid low by the sheer devastation caused by the coronavirus, with the pandemic till now infecting 90,619 and leaving as many as 1,209 dead.
Given such circumstances, it is difficult not to notice that the pandemic has been creating havoc among the country’s VIPs as well. The number of VIPs –from ministers to former and incumbent lawmakers, top bureaucrats, business tycoons, law enforcement officials as well as leading frontline health workers – being infected with Covid-19 and succumbing to such infection has been getting longer with every passing day.
Moreover, so far at least a dozen former and incumbent MPs have been found Covid-19 positive. Several of them are receiving treatment in different hospitals and others are in quarantine in their homes.
Several ruling party men among Covid-19 victims
On Saturday, senior Awami League leader and former health minister Mohammed Nasim, 72, passed away after suffering a stroke and brain haemorrhage.
He died at the Bangladesh Specialized Hospital where he had been undergoing treatment for Covid-19 since June 1.
Later the same day, State Minister for Religious Affairs Ministry Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, 75, died from a cardiac arrest at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).
Test results of his samples collected for Covid-19, which came on Sunday, showed that he had also been infected by the deadly virus.
Early on Monday, Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) member and former Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran died while undergoing treatment at the CMH.
Kamran tested Covid-19 positive on June 5 while his wife tested positive on May 27.
On May 24, Mockbul Hossain, 70, former lawmaker from Dhaka and Awami League leader and also owner of MH Samorita Medical College and Hospital, died from coronavirus infection.
He had also been undergoing treatment at the CMH.
Samples from another former Awami League lawmaker, Kamrunnahar Putul, 65, of Bogra, were found to be coronavirus positive after she died with Covid-19 like symptoms on May 21.
Former Awami League lawmaker Sirajul Islam of Sylhet died from Covid-19 in April in New York, USA.
Besides, on May 10, former state minister for power, energy and mineral resources in the BNP government, Maj Gen (rtd) Anwarul Kabir Talukder, 76, died from Covid-19.
Ministers undergoing treatment
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and his wife, Laila Arjumand Banu, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, are currently admitted at the CMH for treatment.
Moreover, the minister’s private secretary Habibur Rahman has also tested positive for the virus.
Sufi Abdullahil Maruf, senior public relations officer (PRO) of the Liberation War Affairs ministry, confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.
Additionally, Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Minister Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing was also admitted to the CMH on June 7, after he tested positive for coronavirus at Cox’s Bazar Medical College and Hospital.
A number of MPs infected, recovered
Recently ruling party lawmaker from Chittagong 8 constituency and President of Chittagong South District Chapter of Awami League, Moslem Uddin Ahmed, and nine members of his family tested positive for Covid-19.
Confirming the matter on June 11, Chittagong Civil Surgeon Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi said: “Samples were collected from the lawmaker and his family members on June 9. Later, the samples were tested at the Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID) from where the results came back positive.”
Awami League MP from Jessore 4 constituency, Ranajit Kumar Roy, was also diagnosed with coronavirus on June 8 and has been undergoing treatment at the Jessore CMH.
A former Jatiya Party lawmaker from Satkhira 4 constituency, AHM Golam Reza, tested positive for the deadly virus on Friday and was receiving treatment at his home.
Faridul Haque Khan Dulal, 67, of Jamalpur 2 became Covid-19 positive on June 3 and received treatment at his home.
Mustafizur Rahaman Chowdhury, MP of Chittagong 16 constituency, along with 10 other members of his family, was diagnosed as infected by the novel coronavirus on June 1.
Meanwhile, Shahiduzzaman Sarker of Naogaon 2 constituency, the first among the MPs to have been infected with Covid-19 on May 1, has now recovered.
Mohammad Ebadul Karim Bulbul, 65, of Brahmanbaria 5 constituency, who is also managing director of Beacon Pharmaceuticals, also tested positive for the virus but later recovered on May 31 while undergoing treatment at his Dhaka residence.
Top bureaucrats and officials of hospitals, banks also on the list
On Sunday, Md Ali Noor, secretary at the Health Education and Family Welfare Division of the Health Ministry, and his wife were found to be Covid-19 positive.
The couple received their test results five days ago and have been in self-isolation, confirmed Public Relations Officer (PRO) Maidul Islam of the ministry, who has also been diagnosed with the virus.
Earlier on Saturday, Kamrun Nahar, the wife of Health Services Division Secretary Md Abdul Mannan, died due to Covid-19 infection.
On May 31, former deputy director general of Bangladesh Television (BTV) Mustafa Kama Syed, 75, died of coronavirus infection.
Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury, Defence Secretary, promoted to Senior Secretary on Sunday, is still grappling with Covid-19 at the ICU of CMH.
The list of government officials who have died of Covid-19 so far also include former additional secretary Taufiqul Alam, director of the women affairs department Md Fakhrul Kabir, deputy revenue commissioner Sudhanshu Kumar, revenue officer Khorshed Alam, former secretary M Bazlul Karim, food officer Utpal Hasan and Anti-Corruption Commission director Jalal Saifur Rahman.
Abul Kalam Azad, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), returned to his office earlier this month after recovering from Covid-19.
Dr Uttam Kumar Barua, director of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital and Professor Dr Mozaffar Hossain, head of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) tested positive for Covid-19 a few days ago.
However, ICU chief of Square Hospital Dr Sajjad Hossain and BRB Hospital’s ICU head Dr Mirza Nazim Uddin died from Covid-19 on June 7 and June 13 respectively.
Several senior bankers of different banks, including Ashraf Ali, joint manager of Bangladesh Bank, Shahidul Islam Khan, deputy general manager of Rupali Bank, Mahbub Elahi, principal officer of Sonali Bank, Mujtaba Shahriar, and Abu Saeed, assistant vice president of City Bank, have so far died from coronavirus infection.
Prominent figures also affected by Covid-19
Prominent public figures and academics such as national professor Anisuzzaman (he tested positive after death), founder and principal of Sunbeams School Niloufar Manzur, , principal of Northern International Medical College Dr M Anisur Rahman, vice chancellor of Fareast International University Nazmul Karim, , Dhaka University Prof Shakil Uddin Ahmed have so far fallen victim to Covid-19.
Noted historian Professor Muntassir Mamoon, along with his mother, who tested positive for Covid-19, returned home after fully recovering on May 18.
Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, the Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) founder, also recovered from the deadly virus on Saturday after testing positive on May 25.
Businessmen, entrepreneurs not spared
S Alam Group's Director Morshedul Alam, 65, died from Covid-19 on May 22 while undergoing treatment in the ICU of Chittagong General Hospital while his family members were treated in Anwar Khan Modern Hospital in Dhaka.
Mohammad Taslim Akhtar, chairman of Prince Garments died of the virus in April.
Moreover, Tahera Akhter, chairman of Popular Group, noted businessman from Narayanganj Khokon Saha, Aftab Uddin Ahmed, director of Brac, Md Imamul Kabir, founder of Sundarban Courier Service, are some of the country’s big business names who have died from the virus.
AK Azad, managing director of Ha-Meem Group, president of DU Alumni Association and also former FBCCI president, came into contact with Covid-19, but later recovered.
Kutub Uddin Ahmed, chairman of Envoy group, tested Covid-19 positive in May.
