4 die with Covid-19 symptoms in 4 districts
All four were suffering from fever, cough, cold and breathing problems
Four people, including a woman and a child, have died with Covid-19-like symptoms in Khulna, Brahmanbaria, Noakhali and Netrokona.
A child died at around 1am on Saturday while undergoing treatment at the Corona Isolation Unit of Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH). Doctors have collected samples from the child's body to test for the coronavirus.
Sources from the hospital said the child was admitted to the children's ward around 3pm on Friday. After the child's condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the hospital's isolation unit around 5pm.
He hailed from the Khalishpur area of Khulna.
Responding to a query, KMCH's resident physician and a member of the corona unit Dr Shailendra Nath Biswas said, "The child was suffering from fever, cold, cough and pneumonia. We have already handed his body over to his relatives after counseling."
In Brahmanbaria, a 35-year-old woman has died of fever, cough and breathing problems. She died at her home in the Kautoli area of the municipality around 7am on Saturday.
The Sadar upazila health department has collected samples from the woman's body, suspecting that she was suffering from the Covid-19 disease.
The woman's husband said, "She went to consult a doctor at the district Sadar hospital while suffering from a high fever. The doctor on duty told her to get treatment in Dhaka, but she refused, and opted for treatment at home.
"She was also suffering from cold, cough and breathing problems. A medical team, led by Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila's Health and Family Planning officer Dr Sakhawat Hossain, has collected samples from her body for testing, after authorities learned about her symptoms."
Confirming the matter, Brahmanbaria Civil Surgeon Dr Md Ekram Ullah said, "The woman will be buried through the procedures used for burying coronavirus patients, as she showed similar symptoms before her death."
Meanwhile, a boatman – exhibiting symptoms of the Covid-19 – died in his boat near the coast of Hatia, which is under Noakhali district, on Saturday. He was returning to Sandwip with seven crew members from Khulna at around 2:30am.
The Sandwip upazila administration allowed samples to be taken from his body 12 hours after his death, and has quarantined his boat's seven crew members on their boat.
The deceased boatman and his seven crew members are residents of Sandwip.
Speaking to The Business Standard, Sandwip upazila Health Officer Dr Fazlul Karim said, "Initially the administration had decided to send the crew members – along with the deceased – to Chattogram as the man had died with Covid-19 symptoms.
"Later, after consulting with our superiors, we decided to bury the deceased at his home in Sandwip. We have collected samples from his body, which will be sent to the Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITD) for testing."
One of the boat's crew members, said, "We were transporting salt from Bashkhali in Chattogram to Khulna. While returning from Khulna, the boatman died in the boat around 2:30am near the coastal area of Hatia.
"The upazila administration prevented us from docking with his body at Sandwip. We were stranded near the coast, with his body, for 12 hours."
In Netrokona, a man aged 55, died on Saturday afternoon while suffering from coronavirus-like symptoms. He succumbed to his illness in the field of the upazila health complex. He was from Mallikpur village in Mohanganj upazila.
Sources said the man was suffering from fever, cold, cough and breathing problems for the past few days. He visited the home of a relative in Mohanganj Sadar on Friday to get treatment at the local health complex.
His relative took him to Mohanganj Upazila Health Complex around 10am on Saturday.
Judging by his symptoms, on duty doctors suspected that he might have coronavirus. After collecting samples for testing, the doctors put him on a nebuliser for some time, and then advised him to go home.
Sources at the health complex said the man's relative, fearing the Covid-19 disease, left him on the field of the health complex. After lying on the field all day, the man died of his illness and neglect in the afternoon.
Confirming the matter, the health complex's resident physician Dr Subir Sarkar said, "After the man died, local people informed us about the matter. We have contacted his relatives. Whether he was coronavirus positive or not can be confirmed after getting the test results.
"We have also learned that he returned from Dhaka around two weeks ago."