Coronavirus infection started soaring high in Sylhet from June this year and the situation worsened horribly in July and August. During those two dreadful months, a new record of Corona Infection detection and deaths was being set every day.
At that time, the daily corona detection number reached four digits while, a maximum of 22 deaths were reported in 24 hours too. At that time, getting a bed in the hospital was a matter of great fortune. The ICU beds became scarce as a golden deer. Many patients died in the ambulance for lack of space in hospital.
However, since last September, the number of corona cases as well as deaths has been declining. At the same time, the pathetic image of the hospital is changing. Hospitals that used to be crowded with ambulances, waiting for a hospital-seat, are now left without the crowd of corona patients.
Apart from the private hospitals in Sylhet city, Covid-19 patients were being treated in four government hospitals. Of these, three were declared as Corona dedicated hospitals.
Of these, Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital has 100 beds while, Dakshin Surma Health Complex and Khadimpara Health Complex have 31 beds each. Apart from this, another 350 beds of Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital were also allotted for Covid-19 treatment.
In all, four government hospitals in Sylhet with more than five hundred beds could not handle the overflow of corona patients. However, as the infection rate has declined now, the patient's pressure in the hospital has also been decreasing rapidly.
Deputy Civil Surgeon in Sylhet Dr Janmejoy Dutt told Bangladesh Post that Covid-19 medical activities at the 31-bed Dakshin Surma Upazila Health Complex and Khadimpara Health Complex are currently closed due to lack of patients. No corona patients were admitted in these two hospitals till Sunday.
As many as 32 patients were admitted to the largest 100-bed Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital in Sylhet till Sunday afternoon. The hospital's resident medical officer Dr Mizanur Rahman said the number of patients admitted to the hospital is decreasing day by day. Of the 32 people admitted in the hospital till Sunday, only 13 were in the ICU.
Meanwhile, only 9 patients were admitted to Osmani Medical College Hospital. There were 72 patients with Covid-19 symptoms were being treated there. About 90 per cent of the total seats of Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed and Osmani Hospital were lying vacant at the moment.
Meanwhile, only one person died of Corona infection in Sylhet division in the previous 24 hours till Sunday 8 am. The death toll in the division stood at 1,164. At the same time, 22 people were identified by testing 812 samples. Considering the sample test, the detection rate is 2.71 percent. In the previous four days this rate was even lower, even the rate also fell below two percent.
In all, the number of infected people in Sylhet division is now 54,616. Besides, 40 people have recovered from Corona in Sylhet division in the last 24 hours. With these new healthy people, the number of healthy people in the department stood at 48,182.
Sylhet Divisional Director (Health) Dr Himangshu Lal Roy told Bangladesh Post that the pressure of patients in the hospital has decreased as the detection rate has been reduced. He advised all to get vaccinated, follow hygiene rules and avoid public gatherings even if the infection rate is reduced now.