RANGPUR, April 5, 2020 (BSS) – Only 516 people are remaining in home and
institutional quarantine today with release of more 105 people during the
last 24 hours as the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation still remains stable in
Rangpur division.
Health officials said a total of 3,458 people were so far put on home or
institutional quarantine and of them, 2,942 released after expiry of their
14-day quarantine period without any symptoms of COVID-19 infection till
today.
Besides, 10 persons were put in the isolation units of different
hospitals and six of them released in the division.
“Sixty people have been put on home or institutional quarantine in the
last 24 hours and 98 others released during the period in the division,” said
Focal Person of COVID-19 and Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur division
Dr. ZA Siddiqui.
Besides, five people were tested COVID-19 positive so far in Gaibandha
district and they were admitted for treatments at the isolation unit of the
local hospital.
Head of Department of Microbiology of Rangpur Medical College (RMC) and
Superintendent of its COVID-19 Laboratory Associate Professor Dr. Mostakimur
Rahman said no sample will be tested today at the laboratory.
“We have received only samples of two COVID-19 suspected people
yesterday (Saturday) and will get more samples today to resume testing at the
COVID-19 Laboratory of RMC tomorrow (Monday,” he said.
Earlier, samples of 42 suspected COVID-19 patients of Rangpur division
were tested in the laboratory on Friday successfully and the results were
sent to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR)
on Friday.
Focal Point of the COVID-19 Laboratory and Lecturer (Virology) of the
Department of Microbiology at RMC Dr. MA Aziz said that there are full
facilities for testing of the collected samples of suspected COVID-19
patients at the laboratory.
“We have a capacity of testing samples of maximum 94 suspected patients
simultaneously once a day using 94 well plates and keeping two well plates
for displaying results of COVID-19 positive or COVID-19 negative,” Dr. Aziz
added.
Talking to BSS, Rangpur Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Md. Amin Ahmed
Khan said the samples are being collected by the trained technologists from
the district, upazila and union levels of the division.
The Civil Surgeons, Superintendents of District Sadar Hospitals and
Surveillance Immunization Medical Officers (SIMO) of the World Health
Organisation (WHO) are supervising the sample collection process at the field
levels.
“Later, the collected samples are being sent to the COVID-19 Laboratory
at RMC for testing using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine by the
trained physicians, technicians and technologists,” Dr. Khan added.