Covid-19 claimed 20 more lives at the Covid-19 unit of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the last 24 hours to 8am Tuesday, taking the death toll at the hospital to 349 so far this month.
Eight of the deceased were from Rajshahi, while five were from Natore, three from Kushtia and two each from Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts, said RMCH Director Brig Gen Shamim Yazdani.
Six of them were aged above 61 years, seven between 51 and 60, three between 41 and 50, three between 31 and 40, and one between 21 and 30 years.
Among the deceased, four had tested positive for Covid-19, and 16 had exhibited its symptoms, Brig Gen Yazdani said, adding that of the 20 deceased, 12 were men and eight were women.
Some 60 more patients were admitted to the hospital’s Covid-19 unit in the last 24 hours.
As of 8am Tuesday, 480 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital for the pandemic disease, 238 of whom have tested positive. Meanwhile, another 19 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital, and 68 people are admitted for post-Covid health complications.
Seventy-two more patients were released after making full recovery during the same time period.
In two laboratories in Rajshahi, samples of 392 people were tested, of which 113 came out to be positive, at the infection rate of 22.97%, in the last 24 hours.
Demand for oxygen has gradually been rising for the last couple of months amid the rise of cases in the hospital.
At present, over 8,000 litres of oxygen are being supplied to the Covid-19 patients in the hospital every day on an average, but the daily oxygen demand was only 2,500 litres in around two months back, BSS reports.
The oxygen demand has gone up by around 3,000 litres, particularly during the last couple of weeks.
The RMCH Director said over 60% of the new Covid-19 patients were from villages, reiterating that awareness among the villagers is less compared to the urban people.
“Most patients hesitate to take the tests, even if they have symptoms,” he said. “They [the patients] are coming in to the hospital at the last minute, when we can do nothing for them,” he added.
