A total of 14 more people died at Covid unit of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the last 24 hours until 6am Monday, taking the death toll to 315 in the current month.
RMCH Director Brig Gen Shamim Yazdani told journalists that seven of those were the residents of Rajshahi, five from Chapainawabganj and one each from Naogaon and Natore districts.
Among the deaths, seven tested Covid positive and the rest seven were suffering from its symptoms, he added.
Yazdani said the previous day's death figure was 10, while 18 on Thursday which was the highest fatality caused by Covid-19 in the hospital since the pandemic began.
Meanwhile, 78 more patients, including 52 from Rajshahi, two from Pabna, eight from Natore, ten from Chapainawabganj, four from Naogaon and two from Chuadanga districts, were admitted to the designated ward of the hospital during the time, taking its number to 442 and the previous day's figure was 434.
"We have 357 beds in the Covid dedicated ward of the hospital," Yazdani added.
He said an additional 48-bed Covid ward has been inaugurated in the hospital to cope with the extra pressure. "We have installed central oxygen supply in the ward afresh and we have started admitting patients to the new ward from yesterday (Sunday)," he added.
He reiterated that over 60% of the new Covid-19 patients admitted to the Covid unit of RMCH are from villages.
He clarified that awareness among the villagers is less compared to the urban people. Despite symptoms they hesitate to go for tests. "Only they are coming to the hospital when they feel worse. Then we have nothing to do for them, they are dying," he added.
“Currently we should give more attention to villages besides the urban area as the fatality rate among the villagers is more and the grave situation is aggravating day-by-day there,” Brig Yazdani said.
In addition to the administration and health workers, public representatives, political activists and volunteers should come forward and work together. Otherwise, the situation may be furthermore alarming, he opined.
On the other hand, the district administration imposed another weeklong complete lockdown in Rajshahi metropolis on Wednesday afternoon for the third consecutive time due to the decline of the Covid-19 cases in spite of the last two week’s lockdown.
The lockdown in the city scheduled to end on Thursday midnight has been extended for another week until June 30 suspending all connectivity to the city from different upazilas and nearby districts.
