Noman Mosharef : At least 22 people died with symptoms similar to that of coronavirus in the past thirteen days from March 18 to 30.
However, the authorities concerned have so far confirmed five deaths linked to coronavirus.
Out of the coronavirus symptom deaths, two were in the capital, two each in Rajshahi, Khulna and Barishal, and one each in Patuakhali, Khagrachhari, Sylhet, Chattogram, Noakhali, Bogura, Manikganj, Jamalpur, Lalmonirhat, Jashore, Dinajpur, Sunamganj, Sherpur and Kushtia.
The deaths were reported in reputed dailies of the country.
A young man with symptoms of novel coronavirus died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on March 28 (Saturday night).
The deceased was identified as Al Amin, 22, son of Moklesur Rahman, hailing from Alankar Dighi village of Raninagar in Naogaon.
His father said Al Amin worked as a clothes shop assistant in Narayanganj. He returned home with severe cold, fever and asthma on Saturday morning.
As the villagers objected to keep him home, they took him to Naogaon General Hospital but the doctors there declined to treat him and sent them back. They were also turned away from Adamdighi Upazila Health Complex in Bogura.
Later, with the assistance of Raninagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Al Mamun, the patient was admitted to Raninagar Upazila Health Complex and was later shifted to Naogaon General Hospital and finally to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH).RMCH doctors declared him dead around 9:30pm, the father added.
Saiful Ferdous, deputy director of RMCH, said Al Amin was admitted with symptoms of novel coronavirus but he had been suffering from meningitis.
The body of the deceased was handed over to the family on that night.
In Khulna, a man with coronavirus infection symptoms died at the Isolation Unit of Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) Sunday morning.
The deceased was Sultan Sheikh, 70, from Narail’s Kalia upazila of Khulna.
Shailendranath Biswas, KMCH corona unit, said Sultan was undergoing treatment at the corona Unit but he had been suffering from tuberculosis.
They informed the IEDCR but were told that it is not important to take Sultan’s sample as he had tuberculosis.
Sultan’s body was handed over to his family without any test, the doctor added.
Khulna Civil Surgeon Sujat Ahmed also confirmed that the man had been suffering from tuberculosis.
Two persons with coronavirus symptoms died at Barishal’s Sher-e-Bangla Medical College (SBMC) on Sunday.
The deceased were identified as Jakir Hossain, 45, a resident of Sadar upazila in Patuakhali, and Niru Begum, 45, wife of Md Dulal of Puranpara in the city.
It is unclear whether their samples have been collected for COVID-19 tests.
Niru was the first one to die at the Corona Unit of SBMC in the early hours of Sunday. Jakir’s death was reported about eight hours later.
SBMC Director Dr Md Bakir Hossain said Niru’s relatives rushed her to emergency around 11:45pm.
He suggested them to take her to Corona Unit of the hospital after hearing her symptoms. She died around 12:05am.
She had been suffering from diarrhoea and underwent treatment at Barishal General Hospital around three days ago.
She returned home after recovery but fell sick again with fever, pain in the throat and asthma. She also had diabetes and high blood pressure, the doctor said quoting relatives.
The relatives took the body home soon after her death.
Dr Hossain said the relatives of Jakir Hossain took him to the medicine department of the hospital first on Sunday afternoon at 5:50pm.
He was later shifted to Corona Unit of the hospital where he died around 7:20am.
In Lalmonirhat, a 49-year-old man named Azizul Islam died with symptoms of COVID-19 at his home in Aditmari upazila on Saturday night as he was allegedly denied treatment at nearby government hospital.
Lalmonirhat Civil surgeon Nirmulendu Roy said on Sunday that a team of the IEDCR was on the way to collect samples from the deceased.
Aditmari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Monsur Ali said that 10 families in the neighbourhood of the deceased in the village Helypad was put in 14-day quarantine.
In Manikganj, a 26-year-old woman, Schuchitra Sarkar of the village Boroichara of Harirampur upazila, died with the symptoms of coronavirus after her arrival at Munnu Medical College Hospital on Sunday, prompting the administration to put 200 families under lockdown.
Harirampur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sabina Yasmin said that the samples of the deceased were sent to the IEDCR and the decision on whether the lockdown would continue depended on the test result.
Earlier on Friday, a man in Bogura died after showing symptoms of coronavirus infection. He was denied treatment and remained untested, but was buried maintaining the protocol.
A girl who was kept in quarantine at Sadar Hospital in Jeshore, died early Monday.
Assistant Director of Jashore General Hospital Dr Harun-ur Rashid said that the 12-year-old girl with cold and cough was admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital on Sunday afternoon.
Around 4:00am the girl who was mentally challenged died, he said.
Residential Medical Officer (RMO) Arif Ahmed said, “We contacted the IEDCR. They said that the girl’s death was not caused by the coronavirus.”
A man suffering from cold and fever died on Monday while his four family members were quarantined at Topsi village of Birampur upazila of Dinajpur district.
The deceased was identified as Md Farhad Hossain, 40, son of late Hanif Uddin. He recently returned home from Cumilla.
Civil Surgeon Dr Abdul Kuddus said they informed the matter to the IEDCR.
“Samples will be collected from the deceased for testing and his family members were kept in quarantine”, said the physician.
Jotbani Union Parishad Chairman Abdur Razzak said Farhad used to work in the house of an expatriate who recently came home from Saudi Arabia.
Cumilla district administration directed the Saudi expatriate’s family to stay in quarantine, he said.
Farhad returned home with fever, cold and jaundice and was taking treatment at home, the chairman said.
After his death police cordoned off the area and restricted public movement.
Nine people, including two doctors and five staff of Sadar Hospital in Kushtia, were kept in quarantine after an auto-rickshaw driver suffering from cold and breathing problems died on Monday.
The identity of the deceased could not be known yet.
Meanwhile, eight to 10 houses in the neighbourhood of the deceased were put under lockdown.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Zobayer Hossain said nine people were kept in quarantine after the death.
Civil Surgeon HM Anowarul Islam said the 40-year-old deceased had been suffering from cold, cough and breathing problems for three days.
“His sample has been collected since he is a coronavirus suspect. The body will be buried following the rules of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR),” he said.
Kushtia General Hospital’s Dr Tapos Kumar Sarkar said the man, who lived at a rented house in the town’s Chowrhas, died before he was brought to the hospital.
He caught a cold on Friday and had cough and breathing complications, Sarkar said.
Bangladesh tested some 1,338 suspected COVID-19 patients since 21 January.
The government’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed one more case of the coronavirus infection, taking the total number of positive tests to 49 on Monday.
