Coronavirus infects second Bangladeshi in Singapore

Concerns have grown for Bangladeshis living in Singapore as the coronavirus infection is spreading in the country where about 1.3 lakh Bangladeshis live.

Amid this situation regular flights between the two countries are in operations.

At least 45 people, including two Bangladeshis, were already detected to be infected with the virus in Singapore.

Singapore health ministry confirmed another newly infected Bangladeshi worker, 39, who worked in the same factory of the old one.

Many of the affected local people not even visited China. 

The Bangladeshi infected earlier is now in an intensive care unit in a critical health condition while another newly infected Bangladeshi was quarantined in a specialised hospital, officials said.

Singapore quarantined 19 people as of Tuesday, including nine Bangladeshis, officials at the Bangladesh high commission in Singapore told New Age.

Singapore witnessed highest number of coronavirus patients outside China.

In China, over 1,000 people already died due to the virus and over 42,000 were infected after its outbreak in late December.

Bangladesh’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research also alerted Bangladeshis to their stay in Singapore or visit to the country.

‘It’s time to be more cautious about Singapore after China,’ said IEDCR director Meerjady Sabrina Flora on Tuesday.

‘We’ve four daily flights with Singapore and though we are screening the passengers at our airports, I’d request Bangladeshis not to visit Singapore unless it is essential,’ she told New Age.

Meerjady also advised Bangladeshis to go into quarantine after coming from Singapore as the China returnees.

Bangladesh high commissioner in Singapore M Mustafizur Rahman told New Age Tuesday evening that they were in regular contacts with the Bangladeshi community there and the Singapore health department.

‘We are visiting Bangladeshis living here and disseminating health messages to them about coronavirus,’ he said over phone.

Meanwhile, the second Bangladeshi student hospitalised after he returned home from China was now doing well, said Meerjady.

The student was referred to Dhaka from Rangpur on Monday.

Meerjady said that the student did not catch coronavirus infection.

‘He has other complications, he is not infected with coronavirus,’ she said.

The other China returnee student had already been declared free of the virus.

The IEDCR director also pointed out that none was found infected with the virus in Bangladesh so far.

The number of deaths in China from the new coronavirus epidemic jumped to 1,011 on Tuesday. There are now more than 42,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection across China.

The World Health Organisation has already declared a global health emergency over the spread of coronavirus that has spread to over two dozen countries besides China.

Bangladesh has prepared to face the growing menace with preventive measures, including screening at the ports of entry to Bangladesh.

Isolation units have been opened at all medical college hospitals and district hospitals across the country.

Bangladesh brought back 312 Bangladeshis from Wuhan of China, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, on February 1.

They remain quarantined near the Dhaka airport.

The IEDCR Tuesday evening said that they had screened at least 1,04,881 passengers at the ports of entry to Bangladesh since January 21, but none was found infected so far.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net