Ten coronavirus patients died at the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) since Monday morning.

Deputy Director of RMCH Dr Saiful Ferdous said four of the patients died in ICU, three in Ward-16, two in Ward-22 and one in Ward-29.

“Most of them are from Chapainawabganj,” the doctor said.

Dr Ferdous said the number of infections in some parts of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj increased at an alarming rate.

The hospital is struggling to accommodate the rising number of patients.

Currently, 168 Covid patients are being treated at RMCH.

Read: BAF chopper medevacs RMCH doctor to Dhaka

Strict lockdown in Chapainawabganj

The district administration put northwestern Chapainawabganj under a strict seven-day lockdown after a surge in Covid-19 cases.

The measure came after the district, which shares border with West Bengal, reported an alarming 55 percent positivity rate out of tested samples, Deputy Commissioner Monjurul Hafeez told the media Monday.

He described the situation as “severe” and suspected that the Indian variant might be responsible for the surge.

“The Indian variant may have spread in the district despite ensuring a 14-day institutional quarantine for all India returnees.”

Meanwhile, the government is easing the countrywide lockdown. Restrictions on public transportations have been lifted since Monday. Launches, trains, and inter-district buses have also started operating.