DHAKA, May 1, 2020 (BSS) – Bangladesh today reported two more deaths from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and 571 fresh positive cases overnight.
“Two more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to170,” DGHS Additional Director General (administration) Prof Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in the city.
She said the tally of infections has jumped to 8,238 in the same period after another 571 people tested positive for COVID-19 from 5573 samples, the highest number of tests in a single day.
Nasima said 14 more COVID-19 patients were cured in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 174.
The health official said among the all infected cases, health conditions of 800 patients are now well as they showed no COVID-19 symptoms.
“But two more tests are needed to make sure their recovery… they will get cured from the disease when we find negative from the twin tests of COVID-19,” she explained.
Bangladesh confirmed the first coronavirus death on March 18, ten days after the detection of the first COVID-19 cases.
Among the COVID-19-infected cases, nearly 75 percent patients are taking treatment from their homes, and many of them are being cured every day after receiving treatment through hotlines, Nasima added.
She said among the two fatalities, one are in his 60s and one in his 50s. Of them, one is male and another is female and among the victims, one is in Dhaka and another in outside Dhaka.
As of May 1, of the total fatalities, 90 deaths were recorded in Dhaka city and 39 in Narayanganj district.
Of the total 170 deaths, 129 took place in Dhaka division and rests are in other seven divisions, the health official added.
Nasima said COVID-19 cases were found in 63 out of 64 districts, meaning that almost all regions of the country are now risky for the fatal disease.
No coronavirus positive case has been reported yet in Rangamati district.
She dubbed Dhaka and Narayanganj COVID-19 as “hotspots” as the maximum number of cases were detected in the two cities.
As of April 30, Dhaka city has been considered as the worst-affected with 54.39 percent of COVID cases, while Dhaka division has remained at the top position with 83.28 percent infected cases out of total coronavirus patients, according to Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
Of the total infections, 5,743 cases were reported in Dhaka division, 296 cases in Chattogram division, 258 cases in Mymensingh division, 142 cases in Khulna division, 119 cases in Barishal division, 119 cases in Rangpur division, 111 cases in Sylhet division and 109 cases in Rajshahi division, it added.
Among the 63 COVID-19-prone districts, Narayanganj is the most hardest-hit one with 923 cases, according to the IEDCR data.
It is followed by Gazipur with 322 positive cases, Kishoreganj with 200 cases, Narsingdi with 145 cases, Mymensingh with 143 cases, Dhaka district with 99 cases, Munshiganj with 110 cases, Chattogram with 74 cases, Gopalganj with 45, Barishal with 40 cases, Jashore with 63 cases, Habiganj with 53 cases, Cumilla with 93 cases and Jamalpur with 61 cases.
The worst hit areas of Dhaka city are Mirpur with 145 cases, Rajarbagh with 138 cases, Mohammadpur with 68 cases, Lalbagh 76 cases, Jatrabari 91 cases, Bangshal with 54 cases , Malibagh with 49 cases, Bashabo with 33 cases, Badda with 40 cases, Chakbazar 32 cases, Kakrail with 135 cases, Gendaria with 42 cases, Hazaribagh with 36 cases, Wari 41 cases, Shahbag with 50 cases, Uttara with 59 cases, Tejgaon with 50 cases, Dhanmondi with 37 cases, Mugda with 43 cases and Mahakhali 54 cases.
Nasima said Bangladesh is witnessing a rapid rise of coronavirus cases since March 24 as 8,232 people tested positive for the virus during the time while the number was only 6 from March 8 to March 23 period.
She said a total of 70,239 samples have so far been tested since the detection of the first COVID-19 cases in the country, adding currently tests are being conducted at 31 labs in the country.
Nasima said the government is gradually expanding testing facilities as part of its preventive measures to fight COVID-19.
The government has given approval to three more private hospitals – Evercare Hospital Dhaka, Square Hospital Limited and United Hospital Limited – for performing COVID-19 tests, she said, adding these hospitals have been given permission to conduct coronavirus tests for their admitted patients only.
“These hospitals will not be allowed to carry out tests of outdoor patients,” she explained.
The health official said a process is underway to give permission to more private hospitals including LabAid Hospital, Ibn Sina Hospital and Tairunnessa Memorial Medical College and Hospital for performing COVID-19 tests.
The health official said as maximum numbers of coronavirus positive cases have been reported in Dhaka city, the government has prepared dedicated COVID-19 hospitals for providing healthcare services to the virus-infected patients.
These hospitals are Kurmitola General Hospital, Kuwait Maitree Hospital, Mohanagar General Hospital, Railway General Hospital in Kamalapur, Infectious Disease Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital, Regent Hospital in Uttra, Regent Hospital in Mirpur, Sajeda Foundation in Narayanganj, Rajarbag Police Hospital, Lalkuthi Hospital Mirpur, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (burn unit), Mugda Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Tajuddin Medical College Hospitaul in Gazipur.
About the present stock of PCR kits, the health official informed that currently there are over one lakh PCR kits in the country.
“The government is importing testing kits on regular basis as it is a very essential medical tool to determine coronavirus cases,” she said.
“There are 9738 isolation beds in the country,” Nasima said, adding 3944 of them are in Dhaka city.
The DGHS said nearly 1,88,900 people were kept at both home and institutional quarantine and 1,18,437 people were released from quarantine, while the number of people who are now in quarantine is 70,441.
It said a total of 601 institutions have been prepared across the country for keeping over 30,635 people in quarantine, adding nearly 1,422 people have now been kept in isolation.
The health service organization said as part of taking preventative measures to stop imported cases of COVID-19, the authorities of all gateways, including airports, land ports and waterways, are continuing screening of all foreign returnees.
It said the government has collected 18,33,492 PPE so far, of which over 14,34,428 were distributed and 3,98,764 are in stock.
The DGHS said in case of critical COVID-19 patients, special facilities including oxygen, ICU and dialysis units are needed in hospitals.
At present, the country has 341 ICUs and 102 dialysis units, it added.
The DGHS sources said till today, nearly 37,63,076 people received healthcare services from hotline mobile numbers and health web portals as the government formed a group of medical professionals to provide emergency health services.
The contact hotline and mobile numbers are 16263; 333; 10655 and 01944333222 – to receive information and treatment facilities on COVID-19.
As of May 1, 2020, 10.28 GMT, 234,408 people have died so far from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak and there are 3,322,835 currently confirmed cases in 210 countries and territories, according to Worldometer, a reference website that provides counters and real-time statistics for diverse topics.
China was the world’s first country which on January 11 reported the first death from the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province.