Bangladesh: 4% of COVID-19 patients at hospitals

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Less than 5% of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh are currently taking treatment at hospitals across the country, said the latest data of the country’s Health Ministry.

As of Thursday, 175,494 coronavirus patients have been detected in total, with 3,360 fresh cases.

Since the first cases were detected in the South Asian country on March 8, overall, 84,544 patients have recovered, with 3,706 additions on Thursday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Currently, there are 90,950 COVID-19 patients in the country, and among the total, 3,596 of them are under treatment at the hospitals, while 191 patients in critical condition are in intensive care units, it added.

With the data in count, 4.2% of the patients in the country are under treatment at formal healthcare facilities, the DGHS data showed.

Around one quarter of the total patients are under institutional health services -- including those in isolation and quarantine -- while the rest is taking treatment from home as DGHS experts argue that not all patients need hospital treatment.

Meanwhile, 15,632 samples were tested at 76 authorized labs across the country in the past 24 hours, with 21.49% testing positive, and 1.28% fatality rate, said Nasima Sultana, a director at the DGHS, at a regular online media bulletin.

So far, 904,784 samples have been tested, with an overall infection rate of 19.4%, she said.

In the capital Dhaka, there are some 6,305 general beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients, with 4,782 of them currently vacant, while 86 out of 142 ICU beds are occupied by these patients, Sultana added.