Bangladesh’s health services chief contracts virus

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s health services chief ABM Khurshid Alam has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a health official said on Saturday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Dr. Md. Robed Amin said Alam, and his office secretary, and Director at the Directorate General of Health Services Mizanur Rahman tested positive for the virus on Friday.

Test results of several family members of the secretary also came in positive, Amin added.

On Feb. 7. Alam got his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Oxford-AstraZeneca.

The head of the Directorate General of Health Services developed minor symptoms, Amin said, adding all of them are taking treatment at their homes.

Bangladesh launched a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb. 7, aiming to inoculate 130 million people for free. Over 4.3 million people have been given the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the country so far, according to the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, Ruhul Alam Chowdhury, vice chairman of Bangladesh’s main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, died of the virus on Saturday, according to party sources.

Some 1,868 virus infections and 26 deaths were reported in the country over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 568,706 and fatalities to 8,668, said the Health Ministry.