Bangladesh confirms second death from coronavirus

Bangladesh has confirmed a second death from the coronavirus, Health Minister Zahid Malik has said.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 21 March 2020, 08:35 AM
Updated : 21 March 2020, 12:24 PM

The 70-year-old was infected after coming into contact with an overseas returnee, Malik said at a media briefing in Dhaka on Saturday.

The total number of the infected people is 24, with four new cases reported in the last 24 hours.

After the global outbreak of novel coronavirus, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research reported Bangladesh’s first cases of the coronavirus on Mar 8 after two men and a woman tested positive for the virus.

Bangladesh reported the first death on Mar 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 in several spells. Some were overseas returnees and some came into contact with the returnees.

The infection which caused the latest death came through contact with overseas returnee, the health minister said on Saturday after a meeting of the national committee formed to battle the virus.

He said, “The man was more than 70 years old. He was infected through relatives who returned from overseas. He was also suffering from a number of other health issues.”

Among the infected, three have recovered and returned home while 19 others are still being treated.

Those who have come into contact with other identified patients are being quarantined to halt a widespread outbreak of the coronavirus.

Malik said 50 persons are institutionally quarantined at the moment. And 14,264 overseas returnees are in home quarantines.

Information and lists of overseas returnees were taken from the airport to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Those who have fled will also be found and be quarantined, Malik said.

More than 274,800 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus across the world and 11,389 have died, with deaths in Italy, surpassing the toll in China, where the outbreak began, according to a Reuters tally. Bangladesh has barred all public gatherings to stop the spread of the virus while all education, recreation centres and theatres have been shut down.