Bangladesh: 100-year-old woman survives coronavirus infection

A 100-year-old woman in Bangladesh has survived coronavirus or COVID-19 infection, family members said on Monday.

Khobirunnesa from the mid-south district of Gopalganj was reported positive for the coronavirus in early May. She was admitted to a hospital in capital Dhaka with heart disease and old-age complications.

“It is a miracle. My grandmother was suffering from heart disease and minor skin cancer for a long time. There were rings in her heart and she was in bed for around one year,” Mohammad Nasim Bhuiyan, grandson of Khobirunnesa told Anadolu Agency.

After testing positive for COVID-19, she was quarantined at her daughter’s house in Dhaka’s Uttara area. “We took care of her at our best as per the advice of doctors,” Bhuiyan added.

“Now my grandmother is free of coronavirus. She has now tested negative twice. We took her back to our rural home two days ago, “he said.

42 people died in past 24-hours

Meanwhile, for the second consecutive day on Monday Bangladesh, the crowded South Asian country with 165 million people, recorded the highest single-day deaths with 42 people succumbing to the virus in the last 24 hours, pushing the total figure to 930, according to the government report.

So far 2,735 more cases were recorded on Monday, raising the total infections to 68,504. As many as 14, 507 people have recovered also, since the first case was reported on March 8, said Dr. Nasima Sultana, additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Besides, another member of Bangladesh police service succumbed to the coronavirus on Monday morning, extending the total number of deaths in the force to 19, according to the media wing of police headquarters.

As many as 6,000 police personnel so far were sent to isolation, after reporting the infection. Another victim of the pandemic is health workers, who are fighting the virus at the forefront.

Until Monday, a total of 24 medical staff including 22 doctors and two nurses have died of coronavirus in Bangladesh, according to local doctors’ organization Bangladesh Doctors Foundation.

As many as 2,000 health workers including 1,100 doctors and around 900 nurses and midwives have been infected with the lethal virus across the country.

Chinese medical team arrives

An expert Chinese medical team with experience of direct handling with Covid-19 patients arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning, according to Bangladesh's foreign ministry statement.

During their two-week stay, they will visit designated hospitals, quarantine, and testing centers.

“The 10-member Chinese medical team will stay in Bangladesh till June 22 and share their knowledge and practical experiences with concerned Bangladeshi medical staff on how to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,” said the statement.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the presence of the Chinese medical team will encourage their Bangladeshi counterparts.

“To contain the spread of the pandemic all countries should work together and come forward to help each other,” he said. [Source: Anadolu Agency]