Bangladesh’s coronavirus death toll reaches 3 as another dies

Another person has died in Bangladesh after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total death toll to three, said Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

Besides, six more people, including a health worker, have been diagnosed with coronavirus as the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has increased to 33.

IEDCR Director Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora revealed the latest coronavirus figures at a press briefing through online on Monday.

Of the six fresh cases, three are men and the rest three are women.

She stressed the need for intensifying the preventive measures and maintaining personal hygiene to contain the spread of the virus.

Flora urged people to remain inside avoiding all kinds of mass gathering to stay safe.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will brief the nation on the overall coronavirus situation in the country on March 25, Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said Monday.

He said bus operations will be suspended if necessary and he would speak to bus owners in this regard.

The government has taken a slew of measures including shutting down educational institutions, cancelling Mujib Borsho and Independence Day programmes, to prevent the spread of the virus.

Bangladesh reported the country’s first death from coronavirus on March 18 while the first coronavirus cases on March 18.

Meanwhile, a 60-year-old man, who returned from Italy recently, died at a private hospital in Bhairab on Sunday night with coronavirus symptoms, doctors said.

Abdul Khalek returned home on February 28.

“He had been suffering from fever and breathing problem but did not get hospitalised,” Civil Surgeon Mohamad Mojibur Rahman said.

Earlier, a woman who returned from the UK died at a Sylhet hospital with coronavirus symptoms.

COVID-19, first reported in China in December, has infected 337,570 people globally and killed 14,655 of them – a mortality rate of 13 percent.

 Of them, 224,015 are currently being treated with 10,553 being in serious or critical condition.

So far, 113,538 cases had outcomes and of them, 98,884 (87 percent) recovered and 13 percent died.

Thousands of Bangladeshis have returned from various countries since the outbreak started and most of them did not follow the rules of home quarantine.

Health experts say a coronavirus outbreak in a densely-populated country like Bangladesh will be difficult to tackle.