Covid-19 death
Ekushey Padak winning actor SM Mohsin dies of Covid-19
SM Mohsin, one of the renowned theatre activists who was conferred with the Ekushey Padak in 2020, died of Covid-19 on Sunday morning at BIRDEM General Hospital in the capital. He was 73.
The actor’s son Rashek Mohsin told the media that his father breathed his last at 9:30 am.
He will be laid to eternal rest after Asr prayers at the Azimpur graveyard in the capital, according to Directors Guild president Salahuddin Lavlu.
Read Bangla Academy Chairman Shamsuzzaman Khan loses battle with Covid-19
Upon tested positive for Covid-19 on April 5, SM Mohsin was admitted to Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital. He was then shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Impulse Hospital after his condition worsened.
Then he was taken to BIRDEM General Hospital, where he breathed his last on Sunday morning.
With a career spanning four decades, SM Mohsin cemented his legacy as a prolific persona in the arts and culture sphere of the country.
Also read: Eminent film actor Wasim passes away
He was born in 1948 at Mirzapur, Tangail and completed his alma mater in Bangla and Journalism at Dhaka University. He later channeled his knowledge through becoming a faculty member of the Department of Drama and Dramatics at Jahangirnagar University.
In his esteemed administrative career, Mohsin also served as acting director-general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and also the first project director of the National Theatre. He became an honorary fellow of the Bangla Academy in 2018.
As an actor, Mohsin acted in many notable theatre productions including Rokte Bheja Shapla, Munier Choudhury-directed play Kobor and Chithi, other plays namely Dipantar, Subachan Nirbasane, Chup Adalat Cholchhe and more. He was actively involved with the theatre troupe Drama Circle. He made his radio debut performing in a play named Padakshep.
Read Eminent Rabindra Sangeet singer Mita Haque passes away
Mohsin garnered mainstream popularity as a television actor with his performances in dramas including Mohor Ali, Sakin Sarisuri, Gorom Bhat Othoba Nichhok Bhuter Golpo, Nilambari and others.
He also acted in films namely Chitra Nodir Pare, Brihannala and others. He completed his last film shooting for the movie Antaratma on April 2, starring Shakib Khan and directed by Wazed Ali Sumon.
Besides winning the Ekushey Padak for his contributions in the cultural sector in 2020, SM Mohsin received Meril Prothom Alo Award for Best Television Actor (2007) and Shilpakala Padak (2017), to name a few.
Also read: Kabori: The doyen of Bangladeshi cinema departs
Global Covid-19 cases top 140 mn with over 3 mn fatalities
More than 140 million people have been infected with Covid-19 worldwide with over 3 million fatalities on Sunday, showing a shattering situation of the pandemic.
The total case count from the virus has reached 140,433,831 while the death toll mounted to 3,008,964 as of Sunday morning, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
The number of lives lost, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the population of Kyiv, Ukraine; Caracas, Venezuela; or metropolitan Lisbon, Portugal. It is bigger than Chicago (2.7 million) and equivalent to Philadelphia and Dallas combined, reports AP.
And the true number is believed to be significantly higher because of possible government concealment and the many cases overlooked in the early stages of the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019.
When the world back in January passed the bleak threshold of 2 million deaths, immunization drives had just started in Europe and the United States. Today, they are underway in more than 190 countries, though progress in bringing the virus under control varies widely.
The US which remains the world’s worst hit country in number of cases and death has logged 31,627,701 cases and 566,893 deaths respectively.
Still, deaths in the U.S. are down to about 700 per day on average, plummeting from a mid-January peak of about 3,400, reports AP.
Also read: Global Covid death toll nears 3 million
Brazil's COVID-19 death toll on Saturday reached 371,678 after registering another 2,929 fatalities, the country's ministry of health reported.
According to the ministry, another 67,636 cases were registered, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 13,900,091.
Since the beginning of this year, the country has been facing a second wave of the virus, which has resulted in the collapse of a large part of its healthcare system.
Also read: Global Covid-19 cases top 134.5 million
In India, the Covid-19 situation has reached at dire state following the spike in Covid-19 cases as the country has been continuing to register over 2 lakh Covid-19 cases for the last couple of days.
So far, India has registered 14,526,609 cases and 175, 649 deaths.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered a single-day death of 101 from Covid-19 for the second consecutive day in the past 24 hours until Saturday, pushing up the total fatalities to 10,283.
The country shattered its previous all records of single-day death count with 101 fatalities on Friday.
However, 3,473 new cases were detected during the period as the number of tests declined significantly in the last 5-6 days. Only 16, 185 samples were tested during the period.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Bangla Academy Chairman Shamsuzzaman Khan loses battle with Covid-19
Professor Shamsuzzaman Khan, legendary folklorist and Chairman of Bangla Academy, passed away at a city hospital Wednesday (April 14, 2021) after losing his battle with Covid-19.
The 80-year-old was on life support after being tested Covid-19 positive and was undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital for other illnesses as well.
Bangla Academy Director General Habibullah Siraji confirmed the news to UNB, saying: "Professor Shamsuzzaman breathed his last at around 2pm at BSMMU after fighting with Covid-19 for two weeks."
Read Prothom Alo joint editor Mizanur Rahman dies of Covid-19
The folklorist will be laid to rest at his family graveyard in Manikganj later in the day.
Professor Shamsuzzaman was put on life support on Monday as his condition had worsened. He and his wife tested positive for Covid-19 on March 30.
Born in 1940 in Manikganj's Charigram, Shamsuzzaman is recognised as one of the most respected folklorists of the country.
As a folklorist, researcher and writer, Shamsuzzaman penned and edited more than 100 books including "Folklore Charcha," "Muktabuddhi," "Dharmanirapekshata O Samakal," "Bangarashtrer Galpasamagra," "Kishore Rachanasamagra," and "Bangladesher Utsab."
Read Ustad Shahadat Hossain Khan dies of Covid-19
He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2001, Ekushey Padak in 2009 and Independence Award in 2017 for his great contribution to the arts and culture of Bangladesh.
The folklorist completed his post-graduation from the University of Dhaka and started his career as a lecturer for Haraganga College in Munshiganj and Jagannath College (now university) in 1964.
He was appointed as the director-general of Bangla Academy on May 24, 2009, and continued till May 23, 2018.
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Shamsuzzaman was named the new Bangla Academy Chairman in June 2020 after the death of former president National Professor Anisuzzaman, who also died from Covid-19.
In his esteemed career, Shamsuzzaman also served as the director-general of Bangladesh National Museum and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Shamsuzzaman worked as a faculty member of Bangladesh Agricultural University from 1968 to 1973 and National University from 1998 to 2001, too.
Read Eminent Rabindra Sangeet singer Mita Haque passes away
Ex-Jamaat Ameer Maqbul dies
Maqbul Ahmed, former Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam has died of coronavirus at a Dhaka hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
He breathed his last at the Intensive Care Unit of Ibn Sina Medical College Hospital.
The party's current Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman confirmed the news through a statement at his official Facebook page.
Also read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: 69 more die, 6,028 infected
He expressed deep sorrow at the demise of the former Ameer and sought pardon for his departed soul.
Maqbul will be buried at his family graveyard following two namaz-e-janaza at the field of Jamaiatul Falahiya Kamil Madrasa and in front of his home respectively.
Also read: Patuakhali Jamaat leader killed over land dispute
Makbul was the acting Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam from 29 June 2010 to October 2016.
Later he served as the elected Ameer of the organization from 2017 to 2019 before handing over the responsibility to Dr Shafqur.
Eminent Rabindra Sangeet singer Mita Haque passes away
Ekushey Padak winning Rabindra Sangeet singer Mita Haque passed away at a hospital in Dhaka on Sunday (April 11, 2021), after losing her battle with Covid-19. She was 59.
The singer breathed her last at 6:20 am.
According to her family sources, Haque tested positive for Covid-19 on March 25 and was admitted to Bangladesh Specialized Hospital on March 31.
Also read: Noted singer Jane Alam passes away
However, she tested negative a few days later and returned home from the hospital. On Saturday night, her blood pressure fell down and she was rushed to the hospital again where doctors informed that she had suffered a heart attack.
She was then kept on ventilation before eventually losing her battle with illness.
Haque was also suffering from kidney disease and used to undergo dialysis on a regular basis.
Her body will be taken to Chhayanaut at 11 am where her colleagues, students and admirers will pay last respect to the Rabindra Sangeet legend.
Also Read: Singer Andrew Kishore passes away
She will be buried at the family graveyard at her ancestral home in Manohariya of Keraniganj, according to her family sources.
Born into a musical family on September 6, 1962, the noted artiste received her musical training from maestros including her paternal uncle and late musicologist Waheedul Haq, current Chhayanaut president Sanjida Khatun and musician Ustad Mohammad Hossain Khan, to name a few.
She had been a regular performer in the Bangladesh Television and radio since 1977.
Read Sylhet-3 MP Mahmud Samad laid to rest
Besides her esteemed singing career, Mita Haque was the founder director and teacher of her music school Shurotirtha. She served as the head of the Department of Rabindra Sangeet at Chhayanaut, Dhaka and also as the former general secretary and incumbent vice-president of the Rabindra Sangeet Shommelon Parishad.
For her remarkable contribution in the music industry, she was conferred with Ekushey Padak in 2020 and the Rabindra Puraskar from Bangla Academy in 2017.
Mita Haque was married to renowned actor Khaled Khan who died in 2013.
Read Journalist Afzal Mohammad dies of COVID-19
Chattogram EC official dies of Covid-19
An official of the Chattogram Election Commission died at a hospital in Dhaka on Friday, three days after testing positive for Covid-19.
Ataur Rahman, 45, was an election officer with the Chattogram EC district office.
He died while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka hospital, said Md Kamrul Alam, the Additional Election Officer of Chattogram.
Ataur was flown to Dhaka for treatment on March 25 after he complained of breathing difficulties and had high fever and cold. And he tested positive for Covid on March 29, Kamrul Alam said.
Meanwhile, for the third time in four days, Bangladesh recorded its highest daily coronavirus cases as the health authorities confirmed 6,469 new infections on Thursday afternoon.
The infection rate jumped to 22.94 percent from 19.9 percent of Wednesday’s when the country recorded 5,358 cases, the highest in months.
On Tuesday, 5,042 cases were recorded and the number was 5,181 on Monday. The fatalities reached 9,105 with 59 new deaths.
Bangladesh’s Covid-19 tally crosses 6 lakh
The country’s coronavirus caseload swelled to 600,895 on Monday after the health authorities recorded 5,181 new cases in 24 hours until the morning.
Along with the high number of cases, 45 coronavirus-related deaths were also recorded, pushing the death tally to 8,949, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in a handout.
Also read: No risk of contracting Covid-19 due to vaccination: DGHS
The latest cases were reported after testing 28,195 samples.
The infection rate jumped to 18.38 percent on Monday from 17.65 percent on Sunday.
However, the death rate stands at 1.49 percent.
During this 24-hour period, 2,077 coronavirus patients recovered. So far, 538,018 patients have made recoveries.
Also read:Covid-19 vaccine not a 'silver bullet': WHO
Twenty-eight people died in Dhaka Division, six in Chattogram, five in Rajshahi, three in Khulna and one each in Barishal, Mymensingh and Rangpur.
Sylhet-3 MP Mahmud Samad laid to rest
Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury, MP for Sylhet-3 constituency, was laid to rest in Fenchuganj upazila on Friday.
Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Daily infection rate rises, 6 more die
Bangladesh recorded six more Coronavirus related deaths and 635 new cases in the last 24 hours until Friday morning, registering a rise in daily infection rate.
Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Daily infection rate rises, 7 more die
Dhaka, Mar 2 (UNB) – Bangladesh recorded seven more Covid-19-related deaths and 619 new cases in the last 24 hours till Thursday morning, registering a rise in its daily infection rate.