Bangladesh reports second death from coronavirus, 4 more infected

A second Bangladeshi -- a 73-year-old who tested positive for coronavirus -- has died, and four more persons have been detected with Covid-19, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 24, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said at a press briefing at the office of the Directorate General of Health Services at Mohakhali.

Fifty people are now in institutional quarantine, he added.

On March 18, Bangladesh confirmed the first death from the novel coronavirus.

The minister said they are working to prepare 100 ICUs to mitigate the crisis and the number of ICUs will be increased to 400 gradually.

He said the government is preparing Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery to treat coronavirus patients.

Bangladesh Army was given charge to quarantine people at Diabari area and Ijtema grounds if necessary, he added.

The minister informed that China has offered help by providing masks, testing kits and other necessary material to mitigate the crisis.

The government is considering recruiting doctors and nurses who treated coronavirus patients in China for fighting the crisis, he said.