Bangladeshi infected with coronavirus in critical condition in Singapore
A medical personnel looks on as he stands in the ground of a residential estate, in Hong Kong, early on February 11, 2020, after two people in the block were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus according to local newspaper reports. — AFP file photo
Feb 20,2020
One of the Bangladeshi citizens, infected with coronavirus in Singapore, was now in a ‘very critical state’ and the medicine given to him was not responding, said foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday.
Singapore minister for foreign affairs Vivian Balakrishnan conveyed the updates during a telephone conversation with his Bangladesh counterpart Momen on Wednesday morning.
The Singapore government are doing their best to take care of the Bangladeshi citizen with top medical services, Momen told reporters after attending a function in the city.
He said that the 39-year-old Bangladeshi citizen had been suffering from respiratory, kidney problem and pneumonia before he got infected with Covid-19.
He has been in the intensive care unit for the last 13 days.
The Singapore foreign minister informed that medicine given to the Bangladeshi citizen was not responding, Momen said adding that the Singapore authorities remained very sensitive and supportive to Bangladesh community in Singapore.
The Singapore government is bearing all the medical costs for the infected Bangladeshi citizens who are undergoing treatment there.
Five Bangladesh citizens have so far been infected with Covid-19 in Singapore, according to Singapore health ministry.
Singapore is one of hard-hit country outside China of the outbreak of coronavirus that killed at least 2,000 people in China and infected over 74,000 others.
At least 81 people were found infected with the disease caused by the novel virus in Singapore, including the five Bangladeshis.
Citing Singapore health ministry, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research on Wednesday said five other Bangladeshis were in quarantine in Singapore.
The IEDCR expressed concern over the ‘fake news and rumours’ spreading on social media and some online news portals and newspapers.
A section of users are spreading false news about coronavirus on social media while some online news portals and newspapers were publishing unauthentic information, leading people to get panicked, said IEDCR director Meerjady Sabrina Flora.
She said that so far no coronavirus infected people or animals or poultry birds were identified in Bangladesh.
She further said that there is no need to get tested for coronavirus.
Anyone coming from China or Singapore are not infected with coronavirus, Meerjady said.
They need to stay home for precaution, nothing else, she said.
But if anyone coming from those countries is found with symptoms of coronavirus like fever, coughing, sneezing and breathing difficulty, they have to contact to the IEDCR hotline or nearest health facilities, she said.
IEDCR would confirm after laboratory test whether the particular individual was contracted with coronavirus, Meerjady said.
She advised people to maintain hygiene and healthy practice of coughing and sneezing like using handkerchief or elbow while coughing or sneezing.
Washing with soap for at least 20 seconds is helpful to fend off virus and bacteria, she said.
