Staff Reporter :
A second Bangladeshi coronavirus infected patient has died, said Health Minister Zahid Malik in a press briefing after an inter-ministerial meeting at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The 70-year-old patient was infected with coronavirus after coming into contact with an overseas returnee, the Minister said.
The Minister said that four more people infected with coronavirus were hospitalised in the last 24 hours, raising the coronavirus cases to 24 in the country.
Earlier, Bangladesh reported the first death on March 18; he was also 70 years old and was infected after coming into contact with his US returnee daughter.
Since then, a total of 20 persons were found infected until Friday. Some of them were overseas returnees and several persons came into contact with the returnees.
On 8 March, the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) announced for the first time the detection of three COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh.
The first three Bangladeshis infected with coronavirus were recovered.
The Minister said, 50 persons are in institutional quarantine while about 14,000 are at home quarantine.
He asked the people not to be panicked as the government had taken necessary measures to prevent spread of the disease.
Bangladesh Army was given responsibilities to set up two quarantine centres at the Ashkona Hajj Camp and Uttara’s Diabari to restrain the spread of the coronavirus.
However, the decision to set up a coronavirus quarantine centre at Diabari, Uttara has been withdrawn after the local residents protested it saying the center would put 3000 people to risk.
The Minister said that new quarantine centers will be established in Sheikh Hasina Burn Unit and Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Hospital in Dhaka.
Zahid Malik said that the government is planning to establish 400 more ICU units.
Besides, there is plan to bring some doctors and nurses from China.
Health Secretary Asadul Islam, among other officials, was present during the briefing.
