45 more virus cases reported in Bangladesh's Rohingya camps

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Forty-five more Rohingya refugees living in crammed makeshift tents in southern Bangladesh have tested positive for the coronavirus, health officials said Friday.

This is the highest-single day figure since the virus first hit the world's largest refugee camp in mid-March.

With the latest cases, the infections in the camps have reached 863, out of which 639 have recovered, said a report released by the office of Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Thursday night.

So far, 13 people from the persecuted community have died due to the virus.

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.2 million Rohingya, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in August 2017.

Bangladeshi authorities in collaboration with the aid agencies have taken various preventive measures, including restrictions on movement and setting up isolation centers to stem the spread of the virus.

In light of rising cases, a 12-day lockdown starting Thursday was imposed in five camps.

Bangladesh has so far reported 12,300 fatalities and more than 785,000 infections.

The South Asian nation has administered 9.7 million doses of the vaccine, though the facility is yet to reach the refugee camps.