COVID-19 infects 7,075, kills 52 in Bangladesh

The daily number of COVID-19 cases remained over 7,000 for the second day in the country on Monday while 52 more people died of the disease as the fresh of the coronavirus outbreak has continued to strain hospitals, especially in the capital.  

The Directorate General of Health Services on Monday said that 7,075 more COVID-19 cases were detected testing 30,239 samples in the past 24 hours ending at 8:00am. The test positivity rate was 23.40 per cent.

With the new figures, the COVID-19 death toll has reached 9,318 and the number of cases 6,44,439 in the country.

On Sunday, the DGHS tallied 7,087 cases, the highest daily number of cases since the first COVID-19 cases had been detected in the country on March 8, 2020.

The daily number of deaths remained above 50 in the past six days.

COVID-19 patients are struggling to get admitted to hospitals, particularly in Dhaka, where over 80 per cent of the cases have been detected.

The health ministry on March 22 ordered reopening COVID-19 services in three hospitals — Lalkuthi Hospital in Mirpur, Mohanagar General Hospital in Old Town of Dhaka and Dhaka North City Corporation COVID-19 Isolation Centre in Mohakhali.

But the hospitals are yet to resume the services.

The hospitals had been earlier dedicated for COVID-19 patients but the services were stopped after the improvement in COVID-19 situation a few months ago.

‘Works are going on at the hospitals,’ said DGHS director for hospital Farid Hossain Miah, without giving any details.

There are 2,555 COVID-19 beds in 10 government hospitals in Dhaka but 2,354 of them remained occupied on Monday.

Besides, 117 of the 128 ICUs dedicated for COVID-19 in the government hospitals in the capital also remained occupied on Monday.

Patients are struggling to get ICU beds when they need them.

DGHS director Farid also said that three of his family members were infected with COVID-19 and one was now in an ICU while another was in dire need of an ICU bed but he could not ensure the facility.

Health minister Zahid Maleque on March 24 said that 3,000 more hospital beds would be opened for COVID-19 services in and around the capital, including in Gazipur, Tangail and Manikganj, but the beds have not been prepared also.

DGHS director general ABM Khushid Alam visited Manikganj District Hospital on Monday.

He told reporters that seven beds and an oxygen supply system in the hospital would be available for COVID-19 patients from April 8.

The coronavirus situation has been deteriorating fast in the country since the beginning of March after a gradual improvement since September 2020.

The daily test positivity rate remained over 23 per cent in the past four days.

The daily positivity rate in January- February dropped to 2.5-5 per cent but the rate has started rising from March.

The government on Monday enforced 7-day restrictions on public movements and business activities to reign in COVID-19 infections.  

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/134523/covid-19-infects-7075-kills-52-in-bangladesh