COVID-19
EX-MP Khurram Khan dies of Covid-19
Khurram Khan Chowdhury, a former four-time MP and Mymensingh north unit BNP convener, died of coronavirus at a city hospital on Saturday. He was 75.
Khurram, also a freedom fighter, breathed his last around 5:45pm at United Hospital, said BNP organising secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince.
Read: Ex-MP Gazi MM Amzad Hossain Milon passes away
He said the former MP was admitted to the hospital on July 8 with Covid infection. He was put on life support at the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the hospital the following day as his condition worsened.
Khurram left behind his wife, one son, one daughter and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death.
His first namaz-e-janaza will be held on the premises of Gulshan Azad Mosque at 9am on Monday and then his body will be taken to Moazzempur village in Mymensingh's Nandail upazila where his second and final janaza will be held after Asr prayers.
Later, he will be buried at his family graveyard at the same village.
Khurram was elected MP for the first time in the second parliamentary election in 1979 as a BNP candidate from Nandail constituency. He was also elected MP from the same seat in 1988 as an independent candidate.
Later, he joined Jatiya Party and became MP with its ticket in 1991 from Ishwarganj seat.
Read: Ex-MP MA Jabbar dies
Khurram rejoined BNP and got elected MP as the party’s candidate in 2001 polls from Nandail constituency.
BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep shock at his death.
In separate condolence messages, they prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and conveyed their sympathy to the bereaved family members.
Atiqul warns stern legal action for Covid rule violation in cattle markets
Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam on Saturday said strict legal action would be taken if the hygiene rules and regulations were not followed properly at the sacrificial animal markets.
The mayor issued the warning while addressing a meeting of the monitoring team at Gulshan Nagar Bhaban.
The 15-member team was formed to scrutinize whether lease conditions for nine cattle markets, including the permanent one, were followed properly. The cattle hats have been set up on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
Also read: Mask-wearing campaign kicks off at cattle markets in 2 cities
The team, headed by Councilor of Ward No-19 Md. Mofizur Rahman, comprises 13 Ward councillors and two veterinary officers.
The cattle hats have been set up on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
He said each animal market under Dhaka North City Corporation has a mobile court led by one Executive Magistrate in charge of DNCC to ensure compliance with the health rules and regulations
He said Shakti Foundation has provided 200 trained volunteers, 200 vests and a sufficient number of masks at each market. In addition, the leaseholders have provided hand sanitizers and other health care items in all the cattle markets.
Also read: 10 cattle markets to be set up maintaining health rules: DNCC Mayor
The mayor said that in order to maintain proper social distance in the cattle markets, both buyers and sellers have to wear masks and use hand sanitizers.
He said that "DNCC Digital Hat-2021" has been organized to prevent the spread of coronavirus by avoiding physical presence at the cattle markets.
Among others, DNCC Executive Officer Md Selim Reza and Deputy Executive Director of Shakti Foundation Imran Ahmed were present at the meeting.
Covid in Bangladesh: Concern grows as daily death toll crosses 200-mark again
As Bangladesh continues to struggle with the deadlier 2nd wave of Covid-19 , the country lost 204 more lives in 24 hours till Saturday morning, setting off growing concern among people.The virus also infected 8,489 others during the period.The new figures took the death tally to 17,669 and caseload to 10,92,411, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Also read: Bangladesh to get another three million doses of Moderna Covid jabs: US envoy
The fresh cases were detected after testing 29,214 samples during the period which took the positivity rate to 29.06% from Friday’s 28.96 % .However, the fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.61% during the period.Bangladesh logged 187 deaths and 12,148 fresh cases on Friday. The country saw a record number of 13,768 Covid cases on Monday last and the highest-ever 230 deaths on Sunday.On a positive note, 8,820 Covid-19 patients have recovered during the 24-hour period. The total number of recoveries now stands at 9,23,163 and the recovery rate at 84.51 percent.Dhaka saw the year’s highest deaths as 82 people died in the capital during this time.Besides, 49 people died in Khulna division, 32 in Chattogram, 20 in Rajshahi, 10 in Rangpur, five in Barishal, four in Mymensingh and two died in Sylhet division. Of them, 125 were men and 79 were women.
Also read: 187 more die in Bangladesh as Covid havoc continues
Two were between 11-20 years old, five were within 21-30, 12 between 31-40, 25 between 41-50, 58 between 51-60 and 102 were above 60 years old, according to the DGHS handout.
Japan's Olympic security balancing act leaves few satisfied
Struggling businesses forced to temporarily shut down around Olympics venues. Olympic visitors ordered to install invasive apps and allow GPS tracking. Minders staking out hotels to keep participants from coming into contact with ordinary Japanese or visiting restaurants to sample the sushi.
Japan’s massive security apparatus has raised complaints that the nation, during the weeks of the Games, will look more like authoritarian North Korea or China than one of the world’s most powerful, vibrant democracies.
Read: 6 athletes to represent Bangladesh in Tokyo Olympics
The worry for many here, however, isn’t too much Big Brother. It’s that all the increased precautions won’t be nearly enough to stop the estimated 85,000 athletes, officials, journalists and other workers coming into Japan from introducing fast-spreading coronavirus variants to a largely unvaccinated population already struggling with mounting cases.
“It’s all based on the honor system, and it’s causing concern that media people and other participants may go out of their hotels to eat in Ginza,” Takeshi Saiki, an opposition lawmaker, said of what he called Japan’s lax border controls. So far, the majority of Olympic athletes and other participants have been exempted from typical quarantine requirements.
There have been regular breakdowns in security as the sheer enormity of trying to police so many visitors becomes clearer — and the opening ceremony looms. The Japanese press is filled with reports of Olympic-related people testing positive for the coronavirus. Photos and social media posts show foreigners linked to the Games breaking mask rules and drinking in public, smoking in airports — even, if the bios are accurate, posting on dating apps.
“There are big holes in the bubbles,” said Ayaka Shiomura, another opposition lawmaker, speaking of the so-called “bubbles” that are supposed to separate the Olympics’ participants from the rest of the country.
The pandemic has tested democracies around the world as they try to strike a balance between the need to protect basic rights and the national imperative to control a disease that thrives when people gather in large numbers.
Few places, however, have faced higher stakes than Tokyo will during July and August — or closer global scrutiny. The government, well aware of repeated domestic surveys that show strong opposition to the Games, argues that its security and monitoring measures are crucial as it tries to pull off an Olympics during a once-in-a-century pandemic.
But as the restrictions are tested by increasing numbers of visitors, officials have been blamed for doing too much, and too little.
The government and the Games’ organizers “are treating visitors as if they are potential criminals,” Chizuko Ueno, a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Tokyo, said on YouTube.
Read: Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 23-Aug 8 in 2021
There’s also lingering resentment over a widespread sentiment that Japan is facing this balancing act because the International Olympic Committee needs to have the Games happen, regardless of the state of the virus, to get the billions of dollars in media revenue critical to its survival.
“The Olympics are held as an IOC business. Not only the Japanese people, but others around the world, were turned off by the Olympics after all of us saw the true nature of the Olympics and the IOC through the pandemic,” mountaineer Ken Noguchi told the online edition of the Nikkan Gendai newspaper.
Senior sports editors at major international media companies, meanwhile, have asked organizers to “reconsider some measures that go beyond what is necessary to keep participants and residents safe,” saying they “show a disregard for the personal privacy and technological security of our colleagues.”
Japan has fared better during the pandemic than many nations, but the Olympians will be arriving only a few months after a coronavirus spike had some Japanese hospitals nearing collapse as ICUs filled with the sick. While the surge has tempered, cases are rising enough for the declaration of yet another state of emergency in Tokyo.
One of the highest-profile security problems came last month when a Ugandan team member arriving in Japan tested positive for what turned out to be the more contagious delta variant. He was quarantined at the airport, but the rest of the nine-person team was allowed to travel more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) on a chartered bus to their pre-Olympics camp, where a second Ugandan tested positive, forcing the team and seven city officials and drivers who had close contact with them to self-isolate.
On Friday, a Uganda team member went missing, raising more questions about the oversight of Olympic participants.
So what are the restrictions that Olympic-linked visitors face?
For the first 14 days in Japan, Olympic visitors outside the athletes’ village are banned from using public transportation and from going to bars, tourist spots and most restaurants. They cannot even take a walk, or visit anywhere, in fact, that’s not specifically mentioned in activity plans submitted in advance. There are some exceptions authorized by organizers: specifically designated convenience stores, takeaway places and, in rare cases, some restaurants that have private rooms.
Athletes, tested daily for the coronavirus, will be isolated in the athletes’ village and are expected to stay there, or in similarly locked-down bubbles at venues or training sites. Those who break the rules could be sent home or receive fines and lose the right to participate in the Games.
Everyone associated with the Olympics will be asked to install two apps when entering Japan. One is an immigration and health reporting app, and the other is a contact tracing app that uses Bluetooth. They will also have to consent to allowing organizers to use GPS to monitor their movements and contacts through their smartphones if there’s an infection or violation of rules.
“We are not going to monitor the behavior at all times,” Organizing Committee CEO Toshiro Muto said. “The thing is, though, if there should be issues pertaining to their activity then, since the GPS function will be on, we’ll be able to verify their activities.”
Japan also plans to station human monitors at venues and hotels, though it’s not yet clear how many.
“We will control every entry and exit. We will have a system that will not allow anyone to go outside freely,” Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said.
Other nations, both democratic and autocratic, have also tried to control and monitor behavior and businesses during the pandemic.
In the United States, for instance, NFL teams tracked their athletes in the team facilities. South Korean health authorities have aggressively used smartphone GPS data, credit-card transaction records and surveillance videos to find and isolate potential virus carriers. Tracking apps are used to monitor thousands of individuals quarantined at home.
In China, mask mandates, lockdowns confining millions to their homes and case tracing on a nationwide scale have faced little or no opposition. North Korea has shut its borders even tighter, skipped the Olympics and canceled or seriously curtailed access for foreign diplomats, aid workers and outside journalists.
While the security restrictions in Japan will be a hassle for visitors, they could also hit locals hard.
Hiroshi Kato, a fencing instructor, said he worries that he’ll lose even more business than he did during the pandemic because he’s been ordered to move from the building where he works across from the main Olympics stadium from July 1 to Sep. 19, for unspecified security reasons.
“I feel helpless,” he said in an interview. “To safely hold the Games, some restrictions are understandable … but (the organizers) knew this for a long time and perhaps could have provided some assistance for us.”
Covid: Khulna division sees 40 more deaths in a day
J Forty more people have died of Covid-19 in different districts of Khulna division in the past 24 hours until Saturday morning, health officials said.
According to the health director's office, ten people died in Khulna and Jashore districts, eight in Kushtia, and five in Chuadanga, three each in Meherpur and Jhenaidah and one in Magura district.
Besides, 539 people tested positive for Covid-19 during the period, said Rasheda Sultana, director of the divisional health department.
READ: 11 more die of Covid at Khulna hospitals
The total death toll in the division has crossed 1,844, said the health officials.
Some 80,076 cases have been detected in 10 districts of the division since the onset of Covid, of which 51,665 patients have recovered so far.
In Khulna division, the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Chuadanga on March 19, 2020.
READ: Khulna division logs 32 Covid deaths in a day
20 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine to reach Dhaka tonight
Some 20 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine is expected to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in two aircraft on Saturday night and early Sunday.
Of the total vaccine, 10 lakh doses will reach around 11 pm while the remaining 10 lakh around 3 am Sunday, said a handout of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
Bangladesh will receive 20 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China as part of the commercial agreement, said Deputy Chief of Mission at Chinese Embassy in Dhaka Hualong Yan on Friday.
READ: Govt to purchase 15 mn Sinopharm vaccine doses at lower rate
Talking to UNB, Hualong said China will also provide 10 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine in addition to the 11 lakh doses already received as a gift from it.
"This is a gift for our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters in their fight against the pandemic," Hualong Yan said.
Bangladesh has already received 20 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine as part of commercial purchase from China.
Bangladesh will receive initially 1.5 crore doses of vaccine as part of a commercial purchase agreement.
Hualong said China stands ready to provide support and assistance to help with Bangladesh government's poverty alleviation through the China-South Asian Countries Poverty Alleviation and Cooperative Development Center.
READ: Covid vaccine supply: Gavi signs deals with Sinopharm, Sinovac for COVAX
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will continue to provide Bangladesh with the Covid vaccines to help it fight the epidemic.
He also said China is willing to work with Bangladesh to maintain the momentum of the development of the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
The Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momon in Tashkent and discussed the issues on the sidelines of the International Conference on “Central and South Asia: Regional connectivity - Challenges and opportunities” on Thursday.
READ: Mass inoculation to restart Monday with Sinopharm, Tuesday with Moderna: DGHS
Wang Yi said that China and Bangladesh are good neighbours and friends and the two sides always adhere to equal treatment and mutual respect, continue to deepen friendly cooperation, and actively jointly build the "Belt and Road".
11 more die of Covid in Kushtia
Eleven more people have died of Covid-19 at Kushtia General Hospital (KGH) in the past 24 hours, authorities said on Saturday.
Of the deceased, seven were confirmed Covid-19 patients and four had symptoms of the virus, said KGH's Md Mejbaul Alam.
Some 285 Covid patients are currently undergoing treatment at the 250-bed hospital.
READ: 10 more die of Covid at Kushtia hospital
During the past 24 hours, 88 people have tested positive out of 280 PCR laboratory tests, which have taken the infection rate to 31.42 percent in the district.
So far, 11,762 people have been identified with Covid-19 infection. Of them, 387 have died and 7,525 recovered in the district to date, officials said.
As Bangladesh continues to struggle with the deadly second wave of Covid-19, the new figures took the death tally to 17,465 and the caseload to 10,83,922, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said on Friday.
READ: 14 more die of Covid in Kushtia
Barishal logs 13 new Covid deaths
Barishal division on Saturday recorded 13 new Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours.
Of them, nine died at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) and one each in Barguna, Barishal and Jhalakati districts, health officials said.
Besides, 156 people have tested positive for Covid in the division in the past 24 hours, pushing up the total caseload to 25,287, the officials said.
Divisional Health Director Dr Basudev Kumar Das said that 377 patients have died of Covid-19 in the division so far. And some 16,750 people have recovered from the deadly virus to date.
READ: Bus services suspended in Barisal over union issues
According to SBMCH authorities, 35 more patients have been admitted to the hospital in the past 24 hours.
The total caseload in Barishal district currently stands at 10,788. In Patuakhali, the figure is 3,137. The two districts have logged 104 and 10 cases, respectively, in the past 24 hours.
In Bhola, some 2,525 people have been found infected with Covid to date, including 38 in 24 hours. Pirojpur district, on the other hand, has logged 3,468 cases, Barguna 2,156 and Jhalakati 3,213 cases to date.
READ: Barisal division logs 19 new Covid deaths
Covid: 16 more people die in Rajshahi
Sixteen more people have died of Covid at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the past 24 hours, hospital authorities said on Saturday.
Of the deceased, eight had tested positive for Covid-19 while the remaining eight showed symptoms of the virus, hospital director Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani said.
Nine of the deceased were from Rajshahi district, two from Chapainawabganj, one each from Kushtia and Natore, and three from Pabna district, he said.
Shamim also said that 66 people have been admitted to the corona unit of the hospital in the past 24 hours while 26 people were discharged after recovery during the period.
Read: 12 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital
Moreover, 527 people are currently undergoing treatment at the 454-bed corona unit of the hospital. Among them, 18 are being treated in the ICU.
The highly contagious Delta variant made its way in different parts of the country and the authorities of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital have been struggling a lot with the sudden influx of patients in the past few weeks
Read: Rajshahi Medical sees 22 deaths in single day.
The number of beds has also been increased to accommodate more patients, the hospital director said.
Also read: 19 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital
Tokyo's daily COVID-19 cases top 1,000 for 3rd straight day, just a week before Olympics
The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 1,271 new daily COVID-19 cases on Friday, topping 1,000 for the third straight day just a week before the Tokyo Olympics start.
The figure in the capital, which is currently under a fourth COVID-19 state of emergency amid a resurgence of infections, hit 1,308 on Thursday, its highest level since late January.
Read: 6 athletes to represent Bangladesh in Tokyo Olympics
The capital's latest number topped the figure posted in the week earlier for the 27th straight day, raising its seven-day rolling average of infections per day to 946.3, up 37.8 percent from the previous week.
Health experts advising the metropolitan government have warned the moving average could jump to 2,406 by Aug. 11, shortly after the Olympics end on Aug. 8, topping the third wave that swept across Tokyo in the winter.
Read: Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 23-Aug 8 in 2021
Public concerns remain high that the Olympics could become a superspreader event with the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, first found in India.