It will not be possible to increase the number of beds all too often to accommodate the growing Covid-19 patients, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Thursday. “We’ve managed to tackle 10 times more patients this time as we raised the number of beds from 2,500 to 7,000 in a short period of time, but it’s not possible to do it so frequently,” the minister said. Zahid Maleque came up with the remark while addressing a virtual discussion arranged on the occasion of National Nutrition Day. Also read: DNCC Market Hospital to get 200 new ICU beds: Health Minister To avoid the ‘third’ wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, people of the country must be more conscious, Zahid Maleque. The second wave of Coronavirus hit the country as people failed to follow the health protocols properly, the minister said, adding: “We must become more aware to escape the third wave of the deadly virus.” Currently, the second wave of Coronavirus is underway which is much deadlier compared to the first one, Maleque said.  Also read: Covid-19 surge lays bare another crisis: Scant ICU beds and specialists “Now we must detect the cause behind the emergence of the second wave. We’ve restricted social functions, public gatherings and rallies to contain the virus,” he said. The infection rate will come down if the restrictions are followed properly for a few days, he hoped. Covid situation in Bangladesh Ninety-eight more people died of Covid-19 in 24 hours until Thursday morning amid a sharp rise in the number of deaths from the deadly virus. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh sees 98 more deaths, 4,014 new infections The virus also infected 4,014 others during the period, the Directorate General of Health Services said in a handout. With the latest figure, the mortality rate remained at 1.46 percent while the infection rate declined to 14.63 percent from Wednesday’s 15.07 percent.

Three thousand more beds will be added to hospitals across the country in the wake of sharp rise in coronavirus cases, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday. The minister revealed this while responding to questions from reporters following a meeting on MBBS admission test at his ministry's conference room. Also read: Remain alert as Covid-19 infection rising: Health Minister “The number of Covid patients need to be reduced fast. If the current rate of virus infection continues, it won’t be possible to tackle the situation with the existing arrangements,” he said. "We’ve turned some non-Covid hospitals into Corona dedicated hospitals. We’ve also issued instructions to increase beds at Lalkuthi Hospital, Mohanagar Hospital, Government Employees Hospital and Kurmitola Hospital," the minister said. Outside Dhaka, the concerned authorities in Tongi, Gazipur and Tangail have also been asked to take necessary measures, he said, adding, “If we can do these, we’ll be able to create 3000 new beds.”