A total of 13 patients died at the Covid units of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
RMCH director Brigadier Shameem Yazdany told New Age that, of the deceased, five were positive for Covid-19 while the rest died with symptoms of Covid infection before testing their samples.
He said that four of the dead were from the boarding district of Chapainawabganj, eight were from Rajshahi district, and one was from Kushtia district.
He said that they had collected the samples of the people who died with symptoms of Covid infection and sent those to the RMCH labs for testing.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities added 34 more Covid beds, including two ICU beds, in the third phase to cope with situation of rapidly increasing Covid cases as a significant number of Covid patients were being admitted to the hospital every day.
Brigadier Shameem Yazdany said that 48 new patients were admitted to the hospital’s Covid units in 24 hours till Wednesday morning while a total of 344 patients were taking treatment at the units, now having 305 beds.
On Tuesday, 229 out of 646 samples from four districts tested positive in two labs in Rajshahi Medical College and Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
According to the hospital sources, a total of 232 patients died in the Covid units of the hospital since May 24 while 13 died in the past twenty-four hours ending Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the Rajshahi district administration convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday over the possible extension of the existing curbs imposed on public movement and other activities a week ago.
The hospital authorities and government health officials in Rajshahi district were pressing for a complete lockdown for at least two more weeks to contain the high transmission of Covid-19.
Health workers in Rajshahi district also asked the authorities to ensure measures for strict curbs on public activities in villages.
‘We will hold an emergency meeting at 8:30pm on Wednesday to decide our next course of action,’ said Rajshahi district’s deputy commissioner Abdul Jalil.
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