Covid deaths still highest in Khulna

A severe crisis of hospital beds and oxygen has emerged in the Khulna region as the Covid-19 infection is on the rise there.

The Khulna division registered 35 deaths in the past 24 hours till Friday morning, maintaining the region-wise highest number of fatalities over the week.

The Khulna Covid-19 Dedicated Hospital, run by the Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH), has already been expanded from 100 beds to 130 beds to cope with the patients. Besides, a 70-bed Covid-19 unit has been introduced in the Khulna General Hospital.

Despite all this, the hospital authorities are struggling under the pressure of patients.

A severe oxygen crisis has also arisen due to the increase in patients.

To overcome the increasing crisis, the authorities have decided to add 115 more beds for Covid patients in hospitals in the division.

Bangladesh reported over 100 deaths from the virus for the sixth day in a row with 132 more fatalities in the last 24 hours ending at 8am Friday.

Besides, the number of daily infections also remained high as 8,483 more people contracted the virus during the same period.

The country has reported over 8,000 daily cases since 28 June with the highest tally, 8,822, on Wednesday. The highest single-day death toll, 143, was reported on Thursday.

Also, the positivity rate peaked at 28.27%, the highest in the last several months, according to the Covid-19 bulletin issued by the Directorate General of Health Services.

With yesterday's additions, the death toll reached 14,778 and the case tally increased to 9,30,042 in the country. The death rate was 1.59%.

More beds for Covid patients in Khulna

The authorities in Khulna decided to start a new 45-bed Covid-19 unit at Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialised Hospital. In addition to that, the 130-bed Covid-19 Dedicated Hospital run by the KMCH is being upgraded to 200 beds.

Khulna Civil Surgeon Dr Niaz Mohammad increasing the number of beds for Covid-19 patients will make it possible to provide better services.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) sent a letter on 29 June directing the Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialised Hospital in Khulna to launch a Covid-19 unit. Following that, the hospital authority started installing 35 new beds last Thursday morning. In addition to those 35 beds, 10 beds in the ICU department on the hospital's fourth floor have also been prepared for the Covid-19 patients.

Dr SM Morshed, acting director of Abu Naser Specialised Hospital, said they will start admitting Covid-19 patients to the new unit from Saturday. Since the central oxygen line was already set up, only the beds are being installed there now.

He said the Covid-19 unit will start its journey with the hospital's existing manpower, but a letter has been sent to the DGHS asking for more manpower including 20 doctors, 50 nurses and 50 outsourced staff.

Oxygen shortage in Khulna

According to sources at the hospitals, there is a demand of 700 oxygen cylinders per day, but currently, a maximum of 410 cylinders are being supplied there. As a result, there is a shortage of at least 290 cylinders every day. Covid-19 patients and their relatives are suffering because of this.

Meanwhile, the Khulna University's PCR lab started operation on Thursday night by testing 91 samples, 66 (72.53%) of which were tested positive.

Among the 74 patients' samples from Khulna, 57 were diagnosed positive for the virus. Besides, there were five new Covid-19 patients from Bagerhat, two from Jashore and two from Satkhira.

Testing the patients admitted at the Khulna Medical College Hospital and Khulna General Hospital, who cannot be discharged without Covid-19 tests, has been given priority in the sample examination.

According to KMCH sources, 2,000 samples have been sent to Dhaka for testing as their Covid-19 lab will remain closed for three days till Saturday for sterilising.

Not enough high-flow nasal cannula in Bogura

Seven Covid-19 patients at Mohammad Ali Hospital in Bogura died in 24 hours till Friday morning as they could not get oxygen support due to a shortage of necessary equipment like high-flow nasal cannula at the hospital, alleged the relatives of the deceased.

Currently, 20-25 more people taking treatment at the hospital are in critical condition, hospital sources said.

Mohammad Ali Hospital has only two high-flow nasal cannulae. Two more of the equipment were allocated there, but they were not being used yet. The hospital authorities are struggling to provide service properly due to the lack of necessary equipment.

Besides, Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in the district also recorded six more fatalities in its Covid-19 ward in the past 24 hours.

With the fresh death counts at two hospitals, a total of 13 patients have lost their lives to the deadly virus in the last 24 hours.