“No new COVID-19 case was detected in the last 24 hours …. meaning the total number of positive cases stood at 48” IEDCR director Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora told a virtual briefing at her Mohakhali office here today.
While joining the press briefing through online, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said, “After coronavirus cases were detected in China, we are taking necessary preparations since the first week of January this year to contain the disease in the country.”
“As part of our efforts, we have formed four committees including a national committee to take necessary preventive measures on COVID-19,” he added.
Referring to different initiatives taken by the government, the minister said the measures including quarantine arrangements, treatment protocol, providing training for medical professionals and health technologists have taken to tackle the deadly virus.
In order to provide treatment of coronavirus patients, he said as many as 3000 beds have been prepared at Dhaka division.
Bangladesh has a sufficient number of kits to carry out tests of COVID-19, Maleque said, adding that “Now we have 45,000 kits…. and we will get 85,000 kits very soon.”
“The government has already distributed three lakh Personal Protective Equipments (PPE) at different hospitals… we are distributing 20,000 to 25,000 PPEs to doctors and nurses every day,” the minister added.
“By April, we will get nearly 5 lakh PPE,” he added.
At present, the country has 500 ventilators, Maleque said adding that many developed countries do not have sufficient number of ventilators.
The IEDCR director said adding since the novel coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the country, the number of recovered patients stood at 15.
“We observed that recovered COVID-19 infected patients have taken maximum 16 days for their recovery…. we have given treatments to the coronavirus infected patients as per their symptoms,” she said.
“Among the recovered patients, one has kidney ailments. We have provided kidney dialysis alongside other necessary treatments for his recovery,” Prof Flora added. Since the confirmation of coronavirus positive cases in the country, five people died, the IEDCR sources said.
Prof Flora said, “IEDCR teams are collecting samples from different hospitals for confirming coronavirus cases…From now both government and private hospitals will send samples to IEDCR”.
“At the initial stage, IEDCR was performing COVID-19 tests… from now the government is expanding testing facilities for quick confirmation of the virus” she added.
Testing of collected samples is being carried out at Chattogram, she said adding, Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID) at Faujdarhat in Chittagong is already starting testing of collected samples for quick conformation of coronavirus positive.
As part of precaution measures, Prof Flora urged the people to follow social distancing alongside maintaining individual hygienic habits to limit the spread of the COVID-19.
The IEDCR director also called upon the people to strictly follow the directives, particularly to stay at home, given by the organizations concerned to halt the spread of the disease.
In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the government has set up a coordinated control room in comprising different committees at Director General of Health Services, Prof Flora said these committees under the control room are working the round the clock to provide healthcare services to the people so that COVID-19 could not be spread.
Alongside the coordinated control room, the government has set a control room at the Prime Minister’s Office and another one has set up at the health ministry to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
“As part of the countrywide measures, we have set up control rooms at district levels to ensure quick access of the people to healthcare facilities” the IEDCR director added.
She said foreign countries including China and Singapore, different development partners and local companies and organizations are extending their helping hands through providing different protective equipment and hygienic materials for identifying coronavirus positive cases side by side containing the spread of the disease.
“At the initial stage, we were testing only foreign returnee…. now are expanding our examining areas. All potential groups of people including professionals, who have remained with public contacts, have been brought under testing facilities to detect COVID-19 cases.”
Prof Flora urged the people, who went to their village homes from Dhaka, to follow home quarantine for containing the spread of the deadly virus.
In Dhaka, the diagnosis facility is expanding to Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital, Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, she added.
“We have tested samples of 109 in the last 24 hours. The number of total people, who were kept isolation, was 284…now 47 people have been kept in isolation, “Prof Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora said.
She urged to call only the two numbers – 01944333222, 10655 – which will connect the other toll free numbers.
“We have to avoid going outside, most importantly wherever there is a chance of coming in contact with unknown people,” she further said.
People can get their required COVID-19 related information through e-mail iedcrcovid-19@gmail.com and facebook account-Iedcr.
(BSS)
