Singapore—Two of the five Bangladeshi workers who had been infected with Covid-19 have fully recovered from the coronavirus and released from the hospital.
This was reported in a local news outlet, as well as confirmed by releases from the Ministry of Health (MOH), based on a press conference held by Meerjady Sabrina Flora, the director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research in Bangladesh on Sunday, March 1.
Dr Meerjady said that the three other Bangladeshis who have tested positive for the coronavirus are still under treatment in hospitals in Singapore, with one, whose case is considered critical, still in intensive care. The other two are in stable condition.
“It’s good news that two Bangladeshis were released from Singapore hospital as they got cured from the infection.
We hope that the other two will be released from hospital soon,’ she added, saying that her office is in communication with the Bangladesh mission in Singapore.
Bangladesh has no reported cases of the novel coronavirus, although one Bangladeshi national in the United Arab Emirates is now undergoing treatment there. The patient, a woman, is in stable condition.
In Singapore, the five cases of Covid-19 among Bangladeshi nationals (Cases 42, 47, 52, 56 and 69) are linked to the Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site, according to the MOH.
The first Bangladeshi patient to be released from hospital, Case 56, was discharged last Wednesday (Feb 26), as listed on the MOH’s daily update on the Covid-19 patients in Singapore.
He was listed on the MOH website to have been confirmed for Covid-19 on February 13. “Case 56 is a 30-year-old male Bangladesh national with no recent travel history to China. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 13 February morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is linked to the cluster at the Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site.”
The second Bangladeshi national to have recovered is referred to as Case 52, and was released from the hospital last Friday, February 28, according to MOH.
This patient’s Covid-19 diagnosis was among the eight cases confirmed on February 13. “Case 52 is a 37-year-old male Bangladesh national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder and has no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is linked to the cluster at Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site.”
The Bangladeshi national in critical condition, a 39-year-old whose wife is heavily pregnant back home, was the first case among the five confirmed, as listed on the MOH website on February 9. Like the two other reported cases on that day, he had no connection to any of the previously diagnosed patients, and neither had he travelled to China in the weeks leading up to his illness.
He has been receiving treatment at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID)’s intensive care unit for the past three weeks.
The Bangladeshi worker first showed symptoms of Covid-19 on February 1 and visited a GP clinic on February 3. Two days later he consulted at Changi General Hospital. By February 7, he was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
After he tested positive for the coronavirus the next day, he was moved to NCID.
According to the Bangladesh High Commission, the man already had pneumonia, as well as kidney and respiratory problems, when he fell ill with the coronavirus.
The man’s medical care costs while he receives treatment will be shouldered by the Singaporean Government. —/TISG
Growing concern as 5 Bangladeshi workers come down with Covid-19