IEDCR chief Sabrina Flora in quarantine as four staffers contract coronavirus

Four workers of the government’s disease control agency IEDCR have tested positive for the coronavirus, sending their close contacts and the institute’s chief Meerjady Sabrina Flora into quarantine.

Nasima Sultana, an additional director general at health services, confirmed the development to bdnews24.com on Thursday evening.

The four COVID-19 patients were undergoing treatment at hospital while their close contacts went into quarantine, she said.

Earlier, several media had put the number of infections at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research or IEDCR at six, which ASM Alamgir, principal scientific officer at the IEDCR, rejected as “false”.

The reports also said the institute’s Director Flora went into quarantine. One of the reports quoted her as well.

She did not take the call from bdnews24.com, but sent a text message saying: “I haven’t talked to anybody about anything. We are fine.”

Nasima said Flora was not infected with the virus but she was in quarantine. The

IEDCR chief has become a household name since the outbreak started and the institute launched daily briefings.

The Directorate General of Health Services said the whole of Bangladesh is at risk of coronavirus infection as known COVID-19 patients have been detected in 43 districts.

Bangladesh recorded a total of 1,572 known coronavirus infections with 341 new cases as the death rose by 10 to 60 until Thursday morning.