RAJSHAHI, April 17, 2020 (BSS)- A total of 737 samples have, so far, been tested in the regional laboratory to detect coronavirus (COVID-19) infection here till Thursday since its start on April 1.
“We have found nine positive cases of coronavirus among the total tested samples in the laboratory installed in the Department of Virology in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) to detect coronavirus (COVID-19),” said Prof Dr Sabera Gulnahar, head of the virology department and in-charge of the laboratory.
She added that 84 samples were tested and five people were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus yesterday bringing the total number of reported cases to nine in Rajshahi division.
A team of trained technologists is collecting samples under supervision of all the authorities concerned including Surveillance Immunization Medical Officers of the World Health Organisation.
Subsequently, the collected samples are being tested in the laboratory here through using the PCR machine to get correct results and accordingly the test results are being sent to the IEDCR in Dhaka every day, she added.
Meanwhile, one more coronavirus sample testing laboratory is going to be established in RMCH’s High Dependency Unit (HDU) as it has already received another machine for Polymerase Chain Reaction testing, widely known as PCR, which will be used for identification of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The laboratory will bring furthermore dynamism into the field of bringing all the coronavirus suspected people under testing in the region.
On the other hand, the Rajshahi district was brought under lockdown since April 14 last to contain the spread of coronavirus.
During the lockdown, no incoming and outgoing activity is being allowed. However, emergency services like health and food supply are out of the purview.
The district administration has also taken a decision of bringing all the people who returned back to Rajshahi from Dhaka and Narayanganj under testing.
“We have detected four positive cases of COVID-19 in Puthiya, Bagmara and Mohanpur Upazilas in the recent days,” he said, adding both of them were found as returnees from Dhaka and Narayanganj.
Following confirmation of Covid-19 cases, all the respective houses of the infected persons at different areas in the district were placed on lockdown.