Bangladesh
LPG to cost more from Aug 1 as regulator refixes retail price
Consumers will have to buy liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at a higher price from August 1 as the energy regulator on Thursday re-fixed its retail price, supplied by private companies.
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has refixed the 12-kg LPG of private companies at Tk 993, up by Tk 102 from the current price of Tk 891. The LPG price is set to go higher for the second consecutive month.
Read: Public hearing on LPG pricing postponed
Similarly, the higher prices will be rationally applicable for the LPG of other quantity containers up to 45 kg from 5.5 kg.
The BERC announced the new price of LPG adjusting with Saudi Contract Price (CP) on the basis that the local LPG operators import the bulk petroleum gas from the Middle East.
However, the price of LPG of the state-owned LP Gas Company Ltd will remain the same at Tk 591 for 12.5 kg LPG as it sells products from condensates produced in local gas fields and has no relation with Saudi CP.
Some 20 private companies dominate the local LPG market with more than 95 per cent market share through an annual import of 1.2 million metric tons while the LP Gas Company supplies only 25,000 mts.
Read:Pvt companies’ 12-kg LPG to be costlier
Hasina pays tributes to Dr Samad
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday paid tributes to Dr Syed Abdus Samad, Bangabandhu's private secretary, as he died on Wednesday.
On behalf of the Prime Minister, her Military Secretary Major General Naquib Ahmed Chowdhury paid homage by placing a wreath on his coffin at Baridhara Jam-e-Masjid and Islamic Centre in the capital at 10am, said the PMO Press Wing.
Read:PM shocked at death of former principal secretary Abdus Samad
Dr SA Samad, also former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and a valiant freedom fighter, died at his Baridhara residence on Wednesday at the age of 79.
In a condolence message on Wednesday, Hasina recalled his contributions to the process of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty with India and CHT Peace Accord.
Samad, a life-long bachelor, was the PM’s Principal Secretary during Sheikh Hasina’s first government.
Read: Don’t be hesitant about taking Covid test: PM to rural people
In 1971, the CSP officer joined the then Mujibnagar government leaving the Pakistani side when he was the ADC in Rangamati.
Samad will be laid to rest at his family graveyard in Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh following a second nanaz-e-zanaja after Zohr prayers.
17 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital
Seventeen more people have died of Covid-19 at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the past 24 hours, officials said on Thursday morning.
Of them, five were Covid-positive patients, while 10 showed symptoms of the virus and two died of post-Covid complications, the officials said.
Read: 21 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital
Hospital director Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani said that of the deceased, four were from Rajshahi district, one each from Chapainwabganj and Bogura, three from Natore, five from Pabna, and two from Kushtia district.
So far, 540 patients have died in the Covid ward of the hospital in the month of July, while the number was 405 in June.
"Meanwhile, 124 people have tested positive for corona at the hospital during the 24-hour period. Some 429 samples were tested in two laboratories of the district during the period," the director said.
The positivity rate currently stands at 38.90%, which was 22.76% a day before.
In the past 24 hours, 52 new patients have been admitted to the Covid-19 ward of the hospital and 32 released after recovery.
Read: 22 die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital in 24 hours
Some 415 patients are currently undergoing treatment at the 513-bed hospital. Of them, 19 are being treated in the ICU, said the hospital director.
Of the admitted patients, some 192 have tested positive for Covid-19, while 172 are symptomatic and 51 have post-Covid health complications.
Barishal division sees 20 more Covid deaths
Barishal division has logged as many as 20 new Covid deaths in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Thursday morning.
Of the deceased, 11 were confirmed Covid patients while the remaining nine showed symptoms of the virus.
Read: Barishal division logs 854 new Covid cases
Of them, 12 died at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH).
Divisional Health Director Dr Basudev Kumar Das said that 453 patients have died of Covid-19 in the division so far.
Read: 18 more die in Barishal division as Covid havoc continues
Besides, 656 people have tested positive for Covid in Barishal division in the past 24 hours.
Of the fresh Covid cases in the division, 265 have been identified in Barisal district alone.
Some 32,084 active patients have been identified in the division to date.
Read: Barishal division logs record 891 new Covid cases in a day
According to SBMCH authorities, 54 more patients have been admitted to the hospital in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
Moreover, 301 Covid patients are currently undergoing treatment at the corona unit of SBMCH. Of them, 133 are confirmed Covid patients.
Covid claims 11 more lives in Kushtia
Kushtia General Hospital on Thursday morning reported 11 more Covid-related deaths in 24 hours.
All the deceased were confirmed Covid-19 patients, said Statistics Officer of Kushtia General Hospital, Md Mejbaul Alam.
Read:Covid: 19 more deaths recorded in Kushtia
Besides, 149 people have tested positive for corona in the district in the past 24 hours. "Some 522 samples were tested during the period," he said.
The positivity rate currently stands at 28.54%.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 patients in the hospital has increased again.
Read:Covid claims 20 more lives in Kushtia
A total of 201 people with Covid symptoms are currently undergoing treatment at the leading medical facility.
So far, 14,051 people have been infected with the virus in the district, while the death toll from Covid topped 550. On the other hand, 10,081 people have recovered from Covid to date.
16 more die of Covid at Khulna hospitals
Sixteen more people have died of Covid-19 at four different hospitals in Khulna in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Thursday.
Seven died at Khulna Corona Dedicated Hospital, three at Shahid Sheikh Abu Naser Hospital, one in the Covid unit of Khulna General Hospital and five at Gazi Medical College Hospital, according to the officials.
Read: Covid claims 31 more lives in Khulna division
Khulna Corona Dedicated Hospital nodal officer Dr Suhas Ranjan Haldar said that seven patients have died at the hospital in the past 24 hours.
Besides, 126 people are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. "Of them, 46 are receiving treatment in the red zone, 48 in the yellow zone, 19 in the intensive care unit and 13 in the HDU," said Dr Suhas.
Read:Covid claims 46 more lives in Khulna division
Dr Prakash Debnath, spokesman for Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialised Hospital, said that three people have died at the hospital in the past 24 hours. "Some 42 patients are being treated at the hospital and of them, 10 are in the ICU."
Dr Gazi Mizanur Rahman, owner of the private Gazi Medical College Hospital, said that 75 people are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. "Of them, eight are being treated in the intensive care unit and nine in the HDU."
Read: Khulna division logs 33 new Covid deaths
Khulna General Hospital's corona unit spokesman Kazi Abu Rashed said that one Covid patient has died at the hospital in the past 24 hours. “Currently, 40 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital, including nine who were admitted since Wednesday."
First case of black fungus reported in Chattogram
A 60-year-old woman has been diagnosed with black fungus at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH). This is the first case of the rare fungal infection in the district.
"The victim -- Ferdousi Begum, of Patiya upazila -- recently recovered from Covid-19. She has been undergoing treatment for mucormycosis (black fungus) at the hospital for the last 3-4 days," said Dr Suzat Pal, head of CMCH's medicine department.
Read:Black fungus detected in patient at DMCH
“Our suspicion came true after a biopsy report confirmed that the woman has black fungus," he added.
According to family sources, Ferdousi tested positive for Covid on July 3. After undergoing treatment for 10-12 days, she tested negative on July 15. But she had to admitted to CMCH again, following post-Covid complications.
Ferdousi’s husband died of Covid-19 a few days back.
Read: Bangladesh reports two ‘black fungus’ cases, one suspected death
Chattogram Civil Surgeon Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi said, “The black fungus patient will be referred to Birdem General Hospital in Dhaka soon."
On May 25, the first cases of black fungus in Bangladesh were detected in two Covid-recovered patients at Birdem General Hospital.
“The government will take necessary steps if there is a rise in the number of patients with black fungus rise in the country. Black fungus is contagious," the Civil Surgeon said.
Read: Steps underway to tackle black fungus: Health Minister
Black fungus, a rare infection, has a mortality rate of 50% "with some only saved by removing an eye". The fungus affects many areas of the body including the eyes, nose, face, and even the brain in severe cases.
However, in recent months, India, where states have been told to declare the disease as an epidemic, reportedly saw many black fungus cases affecting recovered and recovering Covid-19 patients.
Nine Rohingya refugees detained in Kurigram
A mobile court in Kurigram detained nine Rohingya refugees on Wednesday night for flouting the Covid-19 lockdown norms.
The refugees have been identified as Faia Salam, 27, Ismail Hossain, 18, Sabika Khatun, 50, Nasim, 15, Riaz, 10, Asmira Khatun, 18, Tasminara Khatun, 7, Rumajan Khatun, 5, and Ismail Hossain, 3.
Read: Floods, landslides hit Rohingya camps hard: UNHCR
All of them are the residents of different Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, police said.
Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Bhurungamari Police Station, said during regular patrolling, the mobile court of the local administration intercepted a battery-run three-wheeler carrying 12 people amid the ongoing countrywide lockdown.
While two occupants of the vehicle managed to escape in the dark, the nine others were detained. The remaining person, a Bangladeshi national, was the driver of the vehicle. He was let off with a warning.
Read: Govt to vaccinate Rohingyas gradually starting with above-55s: Foreign Secretary The nine were subsequently handed over to the police after they revealed their identities and claimed that they had plans to sneak into neighbouring India.
"We have initiated the process to send them back to their respective Rohingya camps," the OC said.
Global Covid cases near 196 million
The overall number of global Covid cases is fast approaching the 196-million mark, as the world battles a devastating second wave of the pandemic.
According to US-based Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 195,889,920 while the death toll from the virus reached 4,186,319 on Thursday morning.
So far, 3,960,681,905 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
Read: Liquid Medical Oxygen and Covid-19 Treatment: Things we need to know
The Delta variant of Covid-19 has now been detected in 124 territories worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) said recently.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 34,670,685 cases. Besides, 611,780 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil registered 1,344 more Covid-19 fatalities in 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 553,179, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the total caseload rose to 19,797,086 after 48,013 new cases were detected during the period.
Brazil currently has the world's second-highest pandemic death toll after the United States, and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
The third worst-hit country, India's Covid-19 case count rose to 31,484,605 on Thursday morning and the fatalities touched 422,022.
Situation in Bangladesh
As the highly transmissible Delta variant continues to devastate the country, Bangladesh on Wednesday logged 237 coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours.
With the new deaths, the country's fatality figures have topped 20,016. Bangladesh has been seeing nearly 200 deaths every day for the past two weeks and breaking records of daily cases and deaths almost every other day.
Besides, 16,230 more people came out Covid positive after the test of 53,877 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read:Man dies while waiting in a long line to give Covid sample, says doctor
This was the highest-ever single-day transmission after the country saw a record 15,192 Covid cases on Monday. With the new numbers, the total caseload has mounted to 1,210,982.
Vaccination campaign to gain momentum
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reaffirmed her government's commitment to ensure Covid-19 vaccine doses for all in the country.
The prime minister said she had already given directives to vaccinate the helping hands of a family, including domestic helps and drivers, so that all the members of a family could remain protected.
The prime minister said 1.87 crore people were already vaccinated and all would be brought under the vaccination programme.
The Covid-19 vaccination programme at the union level will start across the country on August 7, said Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday.
“The prime minister has ordered speeding up the vaccination drive. One can get vaccinated at the union level showing one's NID card. Vaccination centres will be set up in unions across the country before August 7,” he said.
Those who do not have any NID will be vaccinated under a special arrangement, he added.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to vaccinate the Rohingya refugees as part of an inclusive vaccination programme.
Although no start date has been offered, those who are above 55 years will be considered in the first phase as per a preliminary decision.
Read: Covid death toll in Bangladesh crosses 20,000 with 237 new fatalities
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, while talking to reporters on Tuesday, said the host communities around the Rohingya camps have frequent communication with the refugees and the government wants to keep both protected as well.
Bangladesh will resume vaccination with Oxford-Astrazeneca Covid jabs soon, DGHS spokesperson Prof Dr Nazmul Islam said on Wednesday.
“We had to stop giving Astrazeneca vaccine to people halfway through due to its short supply. But we’re hopeful of resuming its rollout soon as we’ve received supplies from Japan,” he said at the regular DGHS briefing.
Provide info on Aedes larvae: DSCC mayor to city dwellers
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh today urged city dwellers to inform municipal authorities about Aedes mosquitoes so that they can take necessary steps to free their homes of the menace.
“We cannot reach the rooftops of your(city dwellers) buildings. So if you(residents) watch stagnant water, either clean it by yourselves or inform us and we will clean it,” he said while visiting Dhaka match factory colony area to observe the water logging situation on a regular weekly visit.
“Inform us if you know the breeding sources of Aedes mosquitos in your surroundings as it is impossible for us to locate and destroy them all by going home to home,” he said.
READ: DSCC drive: Aedes larvae found in 5 buildings including DOM-INNO’s
Besides, 27 mobile courts of the DNCC on Wednesday sued 27 individuals and collected a fine of Tk 2,16,500 as they found conditions conducive to the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes on their premises.
Sources within Dhaka North City Corporation confirmed the news to UNB.
Similar drives are also going on everyday in South Dhaka too.
READ: Destroy aedes-breeding puddles or face penalty, warns LGRD minister
Ten mobile courts of the DSCC on Tuesday fined owners of 24 under-construction buildings and houses Tk 3.31 lakh over the matter.