The death toll from the coronavirus continues to rise in Bangladesh with the new case detection and crosses the 100-mark.
On Monday, the government confirmed 10 more people died of COVID-19 and a single-day record 492 new cases.
Ten more patients have made recovery from the disease in the last 24 hours, additional director general for health Prof Nasima Sultana said at the daily briefing expressing frustration that the number of cases is rising.
“We’re really in a danger,” she said, asking people to follow health warnings such as staying at home and maintaining physical distancing. With the update, the number of deaths rose to 101 and total cases to 2,948.
So far, 85 patients recovered with new 10 announced on Monday.
Bangladesh first registered the coronavirus cases on March 8. The World Health Organisation declared the virus pandemic on March 11. Bangladesh recorded first death on March 18.
But there have been criticism about the management of the patients with healthcare professionals complain that they lack personal protective equipment (PPE).
The health department formed a 17-member national advisory committee of medical experts on Saturday to increase the quality of services. The additional director general for health asked people to maintain health guidelines.
“Today the number of new cases is higher than the usual,” she said while confirming the new cases on Monday. “We cannot stop new cases and the procession of deaths unless you (people) help us,” she lamented as the coronavirus outbreak in Bangladesh showed no sign of slowing down.
The government tested 2,779 samples across the country in the last 24 hours between 8am of Sunday to 8am of Monday, and found those new patients.
Eight of the deceased were men and two women. Two of the deceased were from Dhaka and three of the 10 dead aged above 60.
The infection rate has gone up in Gazipur and Kishoreganj districts as people travelled from Narayanganj hotspot.
Coronavirus disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing.
It spreads primarily through contact with an infected person when they cough or sneeze.
It also spreads when a person touches a surface or object that has the virus on it, then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth.
There’s currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
But there are ways to prevent the virus from infection, according to the World Health Organisation.
“Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub; cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze; avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell and stay home and self-isolate from others in the household if you feel unwell,” are some of the preventive acts.
People are advised not to touch eyes, nose, or mouth with unclean hands to prevent the infection.
The government advised people to call 333 or 16263 and sought suggestions with the symptoms of the virus infection such as fever, cough and breathing difficulties.
The IEDCR says people with mild symptoms to take treatment from their homes staying in isolation according to the WHO.
In such cases, family members have to maintain safe distance from the patients.
The global death toll from the pandemic reached 165,058 on Monday morning.
So far, 2,406,905 cases have been confirmed around the world after the highly contagious disease was first reported in China in December last year, according to worldometer.
Of those infected, 1,624,834 are currently being treated and 54,218 of them are in serious or critical condition. So far, 617,013 people have recovered.
