RANGPUR, April 4, 2020 (BSS) – More 694 people were released during the last 24 hours without any symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection reducing the number of quarantined people to only 554 today in Rangpur division.
Health officials said 3,395 migrants and common people were home-quarantined so far and of them, 2,844 released after expiry of their 14-day quarantine period till today.
Besides, 10 persons were put in the isolation units of different hospitals and six of them released so far in the division where the COVID-19 situation still remains under control.
“Meanwhile, only two people with one each in Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat were quarantined at homes in last 24 hours in the division,” Focal Person of COVID-19 and Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur division Dr. ZA Siddiqui told BSS.
Head of Department of Microbiology of Rangpur Medical College (RMC) and Superintendent of its COVID-19 Laboratory Associate Professor Dr. Mostakimur Rahman said samples of 42 suspected patients were tested in the laboratory on Friday.
“After successfully testing samples of 42 suspected COVID-19 patients, including 32 males and 10 females of Rangpur division, we sent the results to the IEDCR on Friday,” he added.
No test is being conducted today (Saturday) at the COVID-19 Laboratory of RMC as no samples were collected from the field levels of Rangpur division on Friday’s holiday.
Focal Point of the COVID-19 Laboratory and Lecturer (Virology) of the Department of Microbiology at RMC Dr. MA Aziz said testing of the collected samples of suspected COVID-19 patients will resume Sunday at the laboratory.
“The COVID-19 Laboratory at RMC has a daily capacity to test samples of maximum 94 suspected patients simultaneously using 94 well plates and keeping two well plates for displaying results of COVID-19 positive or COVID-19 negative,” he said.
The testing process of the collected samples from across Rangpur division will be conducted at a time once a day at the laboratory and the results will be sent to the IEDCR.
Rangpur Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Md. Amin Ahmed Khan said the samples are being collected by the trained technologists from the district, upazila and union levels of the division.
The Civil Surgeons, Superintendents of District Sadar Hospitals and Surveillance Immunization Medical Officers (SIMO) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) are supervising the sample collection process at the field levels.
“Later, the collected samples are being sent to the COVID-19 Laboratory at RMC for testing using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine,” Dr. Khan added.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies have further intensified their assistance to the civil administrations to trace out and ensure quarantine of migrants and social distancing to prevent community transmission of COVID-19.