Bangladesh reports first coronavirus death, total cases rise to 14
Dhaka: Bangladesh on Wednesday reported its first death due to the novel coronavirus pandemic while four new infections were detected, taking the number of cases in the country to 14, a senior health official said.
The 70-year-old man was suffering from diabetes, kidney ailments and hypertension and had contracted the virus after meeting an overseas returnee.
"The patient had been in intensive care where he died," Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) director Meerjady Sabrina Flora told reporters.
She said the patient was highly vulnerable.
The health official also confirmed the detection of four more COVID-19 cases, taking the total tally in the country to 14.
Of the new cases, three are men and the fourth is a woman, Flora said, adding that two recently had returned from Italy, one from Kuwait while the fourth was a family member of one of the returnees.
Flora said 10 patients were being treated in isolation in a hospital while the first three patients reported on March 8 were sent home after recovery.
The IEDCR chief said her facility had tested 341 samples and 49 people in the last 24 hours.
Administrative officials said one of the newly detected persons was kept in quarantine along with dozens of others at a facility in Gazipur on the outskirts of the capital.
Bangladesh authorities, meanwhile, ordered a travel restriction in southeastern beach town of Cox's Bazar and a ban on gatherings at another beach in southeastern port city of Chattagram, a day after closing schools and other education institutions until March 31.
The country earlier also banned entry of people from Europe and several other coronovirus-hit countries including India.
The global coronavirus pandemic also forced the country to scale down the festivity of the inauguration of the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The coronavirus outbreak, which first emerged in China's Wuhan city last year, has infected 198,006 people and killed 7,948, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
