“A total of 14 more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 228,” DGHS Additional Director General (administration) Prof Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in the city.
This is the second highest single-day spike of deaths from COVID-19 in Bangladesh since the country reported 15 fatalities on April 17.
Nasima said the tally of coronavirus infections has climbed to 14,657 in the same period in the country after 887 new COVID-19 cases were detected, marking the biggest rise in a 24-hour count.
The health official informed that a total of 5,738 samples were tested at 36 authorised laboratories across the country during the period.
She said the recovery count rose to 2650 in the last 24 hours after 236 patients were discharged from hospitals.
Bangladesh confirmed the first coronavirus death on March 18, ten days after the detection of the first COVID-19 cases.
Among the total infections, 18.1 percent patients have recovered while 1.5 percent died , the heath official said.
Nasima said nearly 75 percent COVID-19 patients are taking treatment from their homes, and many of them are being cured every day after receiving treatment through hotlines.
She said among the 14 deaths, one is in his 90s, five in their 60s, three in their 50s, four in their 40s and one in his 30s.
As of May 8, of the total fatalities, 112 deaths were recorded in Dhaka city while 171 took place in Dhaka division and rests are in other seven divisions, the health official added.
Nasima said COVID-19 cases were found in 64 districts, meaning that all regions of the country are now risky for the fatal disease.
The health official dubbed Dhaka and Narayanganj COVID-19 as “hotspots” as the maximum number of cases were detected in the two cities.
As of May 9, Dhaka city has been considered as the worst-affected with 58.14 percent of COVID cases, while Dhaka division has remained at the top position with 81.35 percent infected cases out of total coronavirus patients, according to Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
Of the total infections, 8,987 cases were reported in Dhaka division, 669 cases in Chattogram division, 414 cases in Mymensingh division, 217 cases in Khulna division, 137 cases in Barishal division, 303 cases in Rangpur division, 165 cases in Sylhet division and 155 cases in Rajshahi division, it added.
Among the 64 COVID-19-infected districts, Narayanganj is the most hardest- hit one with 1177 cases, according to the IEDCR data.
It is followed by Gazipur with 332 positive cases, Kishoreganj with 202 cases, Narsingdi with 171 cases, Mymensingh with 212 cases, Dhaka district with 206 cases, Munshiganj with 212 cases, Madaripur with 54 cases, Chattogram with 207 cases, Gopalganj with 50 cases, Shariatpur with 57 cases, Lakhkhipur with 58 cases, Cox’s Bazar with 77 cases, Barishal with 48 cases, Jashore with 79 cases, Habiganj with 70 cases, Cumilla with 169 cases, Jamalpur with 104 cases, Netrokona with 68 cases, Joypurhat with 39 cases, Chandpur with 55 cases and Brahmanbaria with 57 cases.
According to the age-group, 8 percent COVID-19 cases are in their 60s, 13 percent in their 50s, 18 percent in their 40s, 24 percent in their 30s, 26 percent in their 20s while 8 percent is above 10 years and 3 percent below 10 years, Nasima added.
According to the gender-based calculation of COVID-infected cases, 68 percent are male and 32 percent female, she said.
The health official said a total of 122,657 samples have so far been tested since the detection of the first COVID-19 cases in the country.
As coronavirus outbreak is on the rising trend in the country, the health official said, the government is expanding testing facilities across the country with joint initiatives of government, non-government organizations, universities, state-run research institutes and private hospitals to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organizations include Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital, Sheikh Hasina Medical College in Jamalpur, Dhaka University, Narayangany 300-bed Hospital, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Childhood Disease Research Foundation, Dhaka Shishu Hospital, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiatives, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Central Police Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Jashore University of Science and Technology and Gazi PCR LAB in Rupganj.
Among them, Nasima said, some institutions are providing necessary support including donating PCR labs and other equipment to different hospitals for expediting testing activities in the country.
“We’re continuing sample collection of suspected COVID-19 people from door to door… by involving the private sector, we’ll lintensify the process (of collecting samples) from suitable locations to widen testing facilities for quick confirmation of the deadly disease,” the health official said.
As part of efforts to increase testing activities, BRAC, a leading non- government organization, has already set up four sample collection booths at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), one in Sheikh Hasina National Institute Of Burn and Plastic Surgery, one booth at Shaheed.
Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, one in National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Centre, one at Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib Memorial KPJ Specialised Hospital in Gazipur and two in Narayanganj City Corporation, she said.
Installation of such booths is underway at different hospitals and service providing institutions in virus-prone areas of the country, Nasima added.
Under the supervision of DGHS, the BRAC is working to set more booths in different healthcare and service providing organizations to expedite testing facilities in the country, she added.
Alongside BRAC, another non-government organization JKG Health Care has set sample collection booths at Dhaka city and Narayanganj. With the coordination of DGHS, they (JKG Health Care) are collecting samples of coronavirus from their respective booths.
In case of elderly and physically-challenged people, the government has preferred sample collection from their homes, the heath official continued.
In a bid to expedite COVID-19 testing activities , the government will set up required number of booths across the country, she added.
According to DGHS, a total of 21,10,623 people were kept at both home and institutional quarantine and 1,74,201 people were released from quarantine, while the number of people who are now in quarantine is 36,822.
It said a total of 615 institutions have been prepared across the country for keeping over 30,955 people in quarantine, adding nearly 2115 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 21, 21,285 PPE so far, of which over 17,10,814 were distributed and 4,10,471 are in stock.
There are 8632 isolation beds in the country and 2900 of them are in Dhaka city, it added.
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 329 ICUs and 102 dialysis units, it added.
The DGHS sources said till today, nearly 46,58,017 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.
To receive information and treatment facilities on COVID-19, the contact hotline and mobile numbers are 16263; 333; 10655 and 01944333222.
As of May 10, 2020, 10:20 GMT, 280,717 people have died so far from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak and there are 4, 118,326 currently confirmed cases in 212 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.
