DHAKA: Bangladesh has reported the first death from the novel coronavirus outbreak and four new cases infections, raising the number of patients to 14, an official said on Wednesday.
The 70-year patient had also been suffering from pre-existing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney malfunction, said Meerjady Sabrina Flora, spokeswoman of state-run Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research.
A relative who had returned from the US is believed to have transmitted the virus to the patient, she said.
With the four more people testing positive, Bangladesh now has 14 coronavirus infected patients undergoing treatment at a specialised hospital in Dhaka, the spokeswoman said.
Three of the newly detected patients have recently returned from abroad, and the fourth case, a woman, is member of the family of one of the returnees, Flora added.
Bangladesh, which detected the first three cases of coronavirus on March 8, shut schools for 15 days and slapped a travel ban on neighbouring India and European countries, excluding Britain, and Malaysia.
Prices of essential commodities have gone up as coronavirus fears sparked panic buying in Bangladesh.
“We’ve 25% to 30% more in stock compared to the same period last year. There is no need for panic buying,” Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said on Wednesday.
‘WE WILL WIN THIS WAR’
Pakistan’s prime minister called for calm after its tally of coronavirus cases rose to 256 while Sri Lanka sealed itself off and declared a partial curfew on Wednesday as South Asian countries tried to stem the epidemic.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Indian subcontinent topped 500 on Wednesday.
Officials imposed travel restrictions to block the spread of the disease amid fears that inadequate health facilities could be overwhelmed in a region that is home to nearly 1.9 billion people.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an address to the nation, urged citizens to remain calm and not rush to get tested.
“Only those with intense symptoms should go to hospital,” he said. “There is no need to worry. We will fight this as a nation. And God-willing, we will win this war.” His comments came amid a growing dispute in Pakistan between federal and provincial authorities, with the latter struggling to secure sufficient coronavirus testing kits and blaming the federal government for failing to properly test and quarantine hundreds of Pakistanis who recently returned home across a land border with Iran.
Pakistan said on Tuesday it would require all arriving air passengers to show they had tested negative for the disease. Land borders have already been shut.
SRI LANKA CURFEW
Sri Lanka, which has recorded 51 coronavirus cases, said it would ban all incoming flights for two weeks from Wednesday to combat the spread of the virus.
Officials also implemented price controls on lentils and sardines to guard against price gouging.
Sri Lanka said its stock market would remain shut for the rest of the week as it attempts to minimise interactions and curb the disease. The Sri Lankan rupee on Wednesday dipped to an all-time low of 187.23 against the US dollar.
The country has imposed a curfew in certain areas in a bid to control the spread, police said. — dpa/Reuters
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