COVID-19 death toll in Rohingya camps rises to 7

DHAKA, Bangladesh

The death toll from the coronavirus has risen to seven in the crammed Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, an official said.

“We recorded one more Rohingya death from COVID-19 on Sunday at camp no. 4,” Dr Abu Toha MR Bhuiyan, chief refugee health coordinator, told Anadolu Agency.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017, pushing the number of persecuted people in Bangladesh above 1.2 million.

Compared to the rest of Bangladesh, coronavirus-related deaths in the refugee camps have been relatively low, he added.

"This has been possible due to our constant monitoring," he said.

With 32 new cases over the last week, the tally of infections at the camp has risen to 130.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh recorded 37 more deaths from the virus pushing the death toll to 4,516.

The nationwide infections have risen to 327,359, with 2,202 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.