Record 16 die of Covid-19, 43% positivity rate in Rangpur

A record number of 16 patients died of Covid-19 in Rangpur division where the daily positivity rate also climbed to the highest level of 43% on Saturday.

"The number of casualties rose to 567 in the division amid sharply rising positivity and causality rates and declining recovery rate in recent weeks," Focal Person of the Covid-19 and Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur division Dr ZA Siddiqui told BSS.

The 16 deaths were reported from Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur and Gaibandha districts in the division.

"A total of 163 Covid-19 patients, the highest number in a month since June 3 last, died in all eight districts of the division," he said.

The district-wise break-up of the 567 fatalities now stands at 115 in Rangpur, 202 in Dinajpur, 100 in Thakurgaon, 38 in Nilphamari, 28 in Kurigram, 26 in Panchagarh, 28 in Gaibandha and 30 in Lalmonirhat.

"The average casualty rate currently stands at 2.01% in the division," Dr Siddiqui said.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases in the division hastily reached 28,248 as 556 more patients were reported after testing 1,293 samples at 43% positivity rate on Saturday, rapidly deteriorating the situation.

"The district-wise break-up of the total 28,248 patients now stands at 6,452 Rangpur, 1,180 Panchagarh, 1,978 in Nilphamari, 1,604 in Lalmonirhat, 1,920 in Kurigram, 3,735 in Thakurgaon, 9,087 in Dinajpur and 2,292 in Gaibandha," he said.

Since the beginning, a total of 1,61,894 collected samples of the division were tested till Saturday, and of them, 28,248 were found Covid-19 positive with an average positivity rate of 17.45%.

Talking to BSS, Acting Divisional Director (Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam said the number of healed patients reached 20,688 with recovery of 238 more patients on Saturday in the division at the average recovery rate of 73.24%.

"The average recovery rate of Covid-19 infected patients was 97.55% around four months ago on March 9 last in the division where the same harshly dropped by 24.31% to 73.24% on Saturday," Dr Islam said.

Among the 28,294 infected patients, 436 are undergoing treatments at isolation units, including 24 critical patients at ICU beds and 11 at High Dependency Unit beds, after recovery of 20,688 patients and 567 deaths while 6,876 are remaining in home isolation.

Dr Islam suggested people to strictly abide by the health directives and assist the authorities concerned to make the current lockdown a success aiming at containing the community transmission of Covid-19 virus to remain safe.

Talking to BSS, Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task Force and Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr AKM Nurunnobi Lyzu expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating Covid-19 situation in the division.

All 100 seats, including 10 ICU beds, at Dedicated Corona Isolation Hospital in Rangpur are remaining fully occupied since July 3 last reducing the admission possibility of new Covid-19 patients there to the zero level.

"As the number of newly infected patients is increasing abnormally daily in recent weeks, we have launched a new 100-bed Corona Unit at Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RpMCH) where admission of Covid-19 patients already began from today," he said.

Director of RpMCH Dr Rezaul Karim informed the local reporters that capacity of the hospital would be increased further to admit Covid-19 patients if the situation continues to deteriorate further.