DHAKA, April 5, 2020 (BSS) – Healthcare officials today reported a fresh COVID-19 death to increase the pandemic toll to nine overnight, when 18 newly infected patients were detected raising their number to 88, while the virus appeared to have spread its clutches with extra wraths on Dhaka.
“One more COVID-19 patient died in the last 24 hours, while the number
of coronavirus cases has stood at 88 as 18 more people have been infected,” health minister Zahid Maleque told a virtual media briefing staged from Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
He urged all to following directives for COVID-19 with more seriousness as officials for the first time gave an account of area wise spread of the virus saying of the fresh 18 cases 12 were detected in Dhaka, five in Narayanganj and one in Madaripur.
If urgent needs pressed, the people could go outside their homes but must wear masks for their own and others protection from the deadly virus and simultaneously asked private hospitals and clinics to continue their healthcare services.
DGHS Director General Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad and Director of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Prof Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora, among others, addressed the briefing.
The IEDCR director said among the new Covid-19 patients, one is a 10-year-old child; two are in their 30s, four in 40s, nine in 50s, and the rest is above 60. Of them, 15 are male and three female.
Flora said of the 88 cases, 20 were detected in Dhaka, 11 being residents of Mirpur’s Tolarbag area and nine others of Bashabo.
Asked for comments which areas of the country were exposed to more COVID-19 risks, she named five places – Dhaka’s Tolarbagh and Bashabo, Madaripur, Narayanganj and Gaibandha.
“We have tested 367 samples though 14 labs across the country in the last 24 hours,” Flora told the briefing adding that out of the previously infected 78 coronavirus patients, 33 recovered by now and 46 were still being treated.
“Thirty two of them (78 patients) are receiving treatment at different hospitals and 14 are under treatment at their homes,” she said.
The briefing came as the government today extended the nationwide holiday until April 14 while police headquarters ordered a near lockdown of the capital Dhaka preventing entry and exit of people to and from the city.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier today unveiled the government work plan to overcome the possible COVID-19 impact on the country’s economy, declaring to sanction Taka 72,750 crore (US$1=Tk84.9) under a set of stimulus packages and four programmes.
The DGHS chief informed the briefing that by now authorities collected 4, 69,502 PPEs, and of those 411,339 PPEs were already distributed at different hospitals countrywide and remaining ones were kept in stock.
Azad said so far 66,071 people were kept at both home and institutional quarantine and of them, 269 were under surveillance at institutional quarantine.
He added 53,412 people were released from quarantine and the current number of quarantined men and women was 12,659.
In order to contain spread of coronavirus in the country, he said 6,67,777 overseas returnees have been brought under screening.
Azad said 13,70,583 people have so far received healthcare services from hotline mobile numbers and health web portals as the government formed a group of medical professionals comprising 13,060 doctors to provide emergency health services to the people.
“They’re providing healthcare services through online,” he added and urged people to contact hotline and mobile numbers – 16263, 333, 10655 and 01944333222 – to receive information and treatment facilities on Covid-19.