Sylhet
Covid-19: What life is like when hospitals refuse admission!
Even if you have the money, there is no guarantee that you will be able to get admitted to a hospital for Covid-19 treatment right away as hospitals are overwhelmed and extremely unequipped, says Rafiqul Islam, a resident of Dakkhin Surma upazila of Sylhet.
“My father tested positive five days back and is struggling for breath. He needs an ICU bed but all beds are occupied everywhere. We had been to Osmani Medical College Hospital and then to two private hospitals but there was no ICU bed to get him admitted," Rafiqul, a working man in his late 40s, told the UNB correspondent in front of North East Medical College Hospital.
“Even the wait at every hospital and every desk was frustrating. We were frequently advised to have patience as they were having a very difficult time. Our medical system has collapsed!” says Rafique.
There is nothing unique in Rafiqul Islam’s case. It is now a common scenario in Sylhet as the number of cases has skyrocketed here in recent weeks as elsewhere in the country.
Relatives of Covid-infected patients are running from one hospital to another to have an ICU bed for them.
READ: Sylhet division reports highest single-day Covid cases of 802
Every day the relatives are having the names of patients listed with the hospitals here in an effort to get an ICU bed once it becomes available.
Sylhet division reports highest single-day Covid cases of 802
Sylhet division on Friday morning logged as many as 802 fresh Covid cases in 24 hours, the division's highest single-day figure this year.
Of the fresh Covid cases in the division, 464 are from Sylhet district alone. So far, 21,525 people have been infected with Covid-19 in this district.
Read: Sylhet div reports record 17 deaths in a day
Besides, 39,116 people have been found infected with the virus in the division up to now.
Besides, 17 more Covid-related deaths have been recorded in Sylhet division during the 24- hour period, officials said.
Of the total deaths, 14 died in Sylhet and three in Moulvibazar districts, raising the death toll from the virus in the division to 684.
On Wednesday, the Sylhet division reported the highest single day records in both the number of deaths of 17 and 736 new cases.
Read: Sylhet scenario as strict lockdown resumes
Dr Himangshu Lal Roy, director (health-Sylhet division), said 413 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 30,320.
Currently, 402 people are undergoing treatment with Covid symptoms in Corona hospitals of the division, he said.
Sylhet may get nine more Covid vax centres
Authorities plan to set up at least nine more Covid vaccination centres in Sylhet as the city grapples with a devastating second wave of the pandemic.
Sylhet City Corporation has already sent a proposal to the Health Department in this regard and awaiting an approval from the latter, officials told UNB on Wednesday.
Read:Sylhet-3 by-election postponed until Aug 5
The vaccination drive is currently being carried out at Sylhet MAG Osmani Hospital and Divisional Police Lines Hospital in the city. With the proposed centres, the number of vaccination sites in Sylhet will rise to 11.
Md Jahidul Islam Sumon, chief health officer of Sylhet City Corporation, said that such an initiative has been taken to bring dynamism in the vaccination drive amid an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases.
"The Corporation's proposal could be approved by the Health Department by this week," he said, adding that the training of 40 health workers has already been completed for manning these proposed centres.
Read: All will get Covid vaccine shots, reassures PM Hasina
The venues of the proposed vaccination centres are Nagar Bhaban, Matrimangal Hospital, Uttar Par Binodini Nagar Health Center of Dhopadighi, Bagbari Nagar Health Center, Akhalia Biresh Chandra Nagar Health Center, Kadamtali Nagar Health Center, Kazitula Surjer Hasi Clinic, Tilagarh Surjer Hasi Clinic and Shahjalal Upashohor Health Center.
Sylhet-3 by-election postponed until Aug 5
The High Court on Monday stayed the by-election to Sylhet-3 constituency till August 5 due to the worsening Covid situation in the country.
The virtual HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order following a writ petition filed over the election.
Read:Sylhet Regional Election Officer dies of Covid
The election was scheduled to be held on July28.
Earlier in the morning , Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir, on behalf of six Supreme Court lawyers and seven local voters, including Saleh Ahmed, filed the writ petition seeking stay of the polls.
Read: Sylhet scenario as strict lockdown resumes
Besides, a legal notice was issued to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Sunday to suspend voting in the polls.
The Sylhet-3 constituency fell vacant after MP Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury died of coronavirus on March 11.
Sylhet Regional Election Officer dies of Covid
Two staff of the Election Commission, including Sylhet Regional Election Officer (REO) Md Israil Hossain, died of Covid-19 on Sunday.
The Sylhet REO breathed his last in the afternoon at a city hospital, Director (Public Relations) of the Election Commission Secretariat SM Asaduzzaman told UNB.
Israil Hossain was infected with Coronavirus. He was taken to the ICU of the hospital after deterioration of his condition.
READ: Upazila election officer dies of Covid-19
Meanwhile, an EC employee Mohammad Enamul Haque, who acted as an office assistant cum computer typist at Brahmanpara Upazila Election Office in Cumilla, died of Covid at the age of 44 in the morning. He left his wife and a son behind to mourn his death.
On July 7 last, Rajnagar Upazila Election Officer in Moulvibazar Alif Laila, 46, died of the coronavirus.
With them, seven staff of the EC died of the Coronavirus.
READ: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: 200+ deaths, 11,291 new cases recorded
So far, a total of 160 officials and employees of the EC got infected with coronavirus and of them 71 ones have already recovered.
Two teens drown in Sylhet canal
Two teenagers drowned after their boat capsized in a canal in the Bisnakandi tourist area of Sylhet's Goainghat upazila on Friday, police said.
The deceased were identified as Sagor, 17 and Rumel, 16.
READ: 2 children drown in Gaibandha pond
"The victims drowned after the boat carrying them sank while crossing the canal,” officer-in-charge of Goainghat police station Parimal Deb told UNB.
The teenagers were rescued soon and rushed to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival, he added.
READ: Four children drown on Eid day
A 17-year-old madrasa student, named Imran, reportedly drowned in the same canal on Thursday. However, his body is yet to be recovered.
Nigerian couple detained for sneaking into Bangladesh
A Nigerian couple and their three-and-a-half year-old daughter have been detained in Sylhet for allegedly sneaking into Bangladesh from India, officials said on Thursday.
The detainees have been identified as Imnanul Nanmedi Wagawam, 42, his wife Paul Ibudi Akichukao, 26, and their daughter.
Read:Nigerian nabbed for sneaking into Bangladesh
Acting on a tip-off, a team of intelligence agencies nabbed the trio from near the Tamabil land port on Thursday morning.
A laptop, nine mobile phone handsets, three passports, a driving licence, an Indian Aadhaar card, a Nigerian NID card, 1,600 US dollars and 280 Indian rupees were seized from the possession of the detainees.
Later, they were handed over to the Gowainghat police.
Read: Lockdown: Mobile courts collect fines of Tk 76,300 in Sylhet, 1 held
Parimal Dev, officer-in-charge of Gowainghat police station, said the Nigerian couple "are being questioned".
On June 29, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained a 31-year-old Nigerian national named Onibukuu Staley in Sylhet for allegedly sneaking into Bangladesh from India through the Tamabil land port.
Floods arrive plunging Sylhet division into chaos and misery
Low-lying areas in Sylhet, Sherpur and Sunamganj districts have been flooded due to downhill onrush of water and heavy rainfall for the last couple of days, causing immense sufferings to local people.
In Sylhet, many parts of roads, houses, seedbeds and schools in Goainghat, Jointapur and Companiganj upazilas went under water due to the flash floods.
Read:Flash flood inundates low-lying areas in 2 Sylhet upazilas
Rivers were flowing above their danger level, leaving several hundred people of the three upazilas marooned. Road communication with many villages remained snapped while people were suffering from acute shortage of pure drinking water.
Around 10,000 people in haor area of Goainghat upazila have been living under water in the past three days. In some areas, people were seen using boats for commuting.
In Jointapur upazila, the Sari and Boro Noyanga rivers were flowing 59 cm above the danger level, rendering hundreds of people marooned.
In Sherpur, the low-lying areas of the district also flooded due to the heavy rains and onrush of hill water.
Read: Dhaka wakes up to flooded roads
Besides, the waters of Bhogai, Chellakhali, Someshwari, Moharashi were flowing above the danger marks.
The Jhenaigati bazar and Upazila Parishad premises were submerged. People have been forced to live indoors as all the low-lying areas were flooded.
The Shimultoli embankment along Bhogai river has been damaged, inundating many areas including Madhyabazar in municipality, Jailkhana Road, Uttar Garkanda, Nalitabari union.
Alamgir Hossain, an official of Chellakhali Water Development Board, said “I have not seen such rains in the past few years.”
The fish enclosures in Jhenaigati upazila have been washed away. In many areas, people have to wade through knee-deep water.
Read: Cyclone Yaas: Low-lying districts flooded as water level rises
In Sunamganj, road communication on Tahirpur-Bishwambhorpur-Sunamganj road in Bishwambharpur upazila remained suspended as the road went under water.
The water level of Jadukata river has increased in the past 24 hours, worsening the flood situation.
Some 30,000 people have been marooned while a vast tract of cropland was submerged, with aman seedbeds inundated.
Nigerian nabbed for sneaking into Bangladesh
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have detained a 31-year-old Nigerian national in Sylhet for allegedly sneaking into Bangladesh from India.
The detainee has been identified as Onibukuu Staley.
Read:3 more Sylhet hotels fined for hosting wedding amid Covid-19 restrictions
Acting on a tip-off, members of the Sylhet 46 BGB, led by Naik Subedar Md Suruj Mia, took positions behind the Tamabil land port in Gowainghat upazila on Monday night.
The Nigerian national allegedly crossed over to Bangladesh illegally from India when a storm started around 9.30 pm on Monday. Sensing the presence of BGB, he tried to flee. But the BGB personnel nabbed him after a brief chase.
Read: 3 missing children rescued from Sylhet's Jaflong
The process of handing him over to the Gowainghat police is currently underway, BGB sources said.
Covid claims three more lives in Sylhet
Over 150 more people have tested positive for Covid in Sylhet division in the past 24 hours. Three more persons have also succumbed to the virus, health officials said Friday.
Of the 155 people, some 89 are from Sylhet district, five from Sunamganj, eight from Habiganj and 36 are from Moulvibazar, according to a report signed by Sultana Razia, Divisional Director of Health.
Read:Sinopharm doses reach Sylhet, Sherpur, Chattogram
Some 17 people have been admitted to different hospitals of Sylhet division in 24 hours till Friday morning. Of them, 15 are from Sylhet, and one each from Sunamganj and Moulavibazar, according to officials.
A total of 291 people are currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals of Sylhet division. Besides, 100 more have recovered from corona in the past 24 hours.
Read: Lockdown: Police barricades at 14 points in Sylhet
With the new numbers, the division's Covid caseload now stands at 24,807 and of them, 16,427 people have been infected in Sylhet district alone.
Some 23,141 have recovered from the virus to date. And 459 people have so far died of Covid in the division.