Chattogram Covid-19 specialised hospitals run out of ICU beds amid virus surge 

As the Covid-19 infections rise, the pressure on intensive care unit (ICU) beds at hospitals has increased significantly in Chattogram district. 

Presently, there are no ICU beds available at any coronavirus specialised general hospitals in the division, said Chattogram Civil Surgeon Officer Sheikh Fazle Rabbi.

The same condition is seen at Ma O Shishu Hospital. There are three ICU beds available at Chattogram Medical College Hospital but there are some beds at different private hospitals, the official added. 

Eleven people died from Covid-19 in the last one week, while 1,463 new patients were diagnosed positive for coronavirus, which is 21.16% of the samples tested in hospital laboratories, according to a report from the Chattogram Civil Surgeon Office. 

Rabbi said like other districts, new coronavirus cases have increased in Chattogram, especially in the northern upazilas. 

The corona situation is worsening quickly because the residents of adjacent upazilas commute to the city regularly. A good number of people from North Bengal have also come to the city for work, he said.

In the meantime, the local administration has imposed an eight-day lockdown in Fatikchhari upazila of the district to contain transmission of the coronavirus.

According to the report from the Chattogram Civil Surgeon Office, a total of 1,463 new patients tested positive for coronavirus from 6,913 samples since 19 June. 

Among them, 845 inhabitants tested positive for coronavirus from the city only, which is 58% of the total positivity rate. Besides, 43% positivity rate is found in Fatikchhari and Hathazari upazilas, among the 14 upazilas of the district. 

As of today, a total of 671 people died of Covid-19 and 57,154 tested positive in the district.