As newer hot spots of Covid-19 emerged across the country, health authorities in Sylhet  said Thursday that 520 more cases were reported in the last 48 hours, causing a shortage of beds in the district’s government and private hospitals.

Also the division is seeing a daily outbreak of over 200 Covid cases for the last three days, said the district health department.

As of Thursday morning, 7 more people died of Covid in the district while 199 reported contracting it in 24 hours.

ICU beds in the Sylhet hospitals also got fully occupied, raising a health service scare for the authorities.

Sylhet Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed District Hospital, a Covid-19 dedicated hospital with 90-beds had to admit 91 patients as of Wednesday afternoon.

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Of them, 43 were Covid positive while 48 were admitted with symptoms, said the hospital authority.

Besides, 15 patients are currently being treated in the hospital's 19-bead Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Dr Shushant Kumara Mahapatra at the hospital said, “We are sending half recovered patients home to make space for newer patients but only severe Covid patients are getting ICU beds. “

As the number of patients with severe conditions increased, panicked family members were seen rushing from one hospital to another in search of available ICU beds.

Two wards of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital have been prepared to take off the pressure from the district hospital but it’s ICU beds also reached full capacity on Wednesday.

Deputy Director of the hospital Himangshu Lal Roy said,” Ward 26 and 27 have been kept prepared to admit patients with Covid19 symptoms. As the ICU beds are already occupied with patients, 10 more ICU beds are being prepared.”

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Two private hospitals of the district Mount Adora Hospital in Akhalia and North East Medical College Hospital (NEMCH), being used as Covid dedicated hospitals also reached their capacity of ICU and Isolation beds until Wednesday 9pm.

Business development consultant of Mount Adora Hospital Rashedul Islam said, all of the 9 ICU and 26 isolation beds of the hospital are currently occupied.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of NEMCH, Dr Shahriar Hossain Chowdhury said, “We’ve increased the number of ICU and isolation beds in the hospital in the wake of  soaring number of Covid patients. And none of the facilities  are available now”  

The hospital had 12 Covid dedicated ICU beds and more than 30 general ICU beds.

Until Thursday Sylhet’s Covid death toll reached 478, while caseload stood at 25,981.