Dead journalist Khokon was infected with COVID-19

Homayuan Kabir Khokon, a journalist who died within an hour of his admittance to a Dhaka hospital with complaints of respiratory distress and a headache, had been infected with the coronavirus, doctors said citing test results.

Khokon, the city editor and chief reporter of The Daily Shomoyer Alo, died in Uttara's Regent Hospital around 10:15pm on Tuesday.

“Khokon was admitted to our hospital at around 9 pm and was already in a critical state. Our doctors tried their best but they couldn't save his life,” hospital’s Managing Director Md Shahed told bdnews24.com.

“We had collected a sample from him and sent it for a test. We were told in the morning that the result returned positive for COVID-19,” he said.

Khokon’s body has been taken to his ancestral home at Muradnagar in Cumilla, where his siblings will arrange for his burial, Shomoyer Alo's Senior Reporter Habib Rahman told bdnews24.com.

His wife and two children have been instructed to isolate at home, said Tarikh Shiblee, spokesman for Regent Hospital. “We have sent them home to isolate. Our doctors will monitor them regularly,” he said.

Khokon had also worked in Daily Manabzamin, Amader Shomoy and a few other newspapers.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and Information Minister Hasan Mahmud expressed their deep shock and condolences over his passing.