Covid-19 detected in Sylhet after 14 months

Covid-19 has been detected in Sylhet after 14 months, with a 55-year-old man testing positive amid rising cases of measles and dengue in the region.

The man, a resident of Bishwanath upazila, is undergoing treatment in isolation at Shaheed Dr Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, said the hospital’s Resident Medical Officer Dr Mizanur Rahman on Saturday night.

The patient had been admitted to Sylhet National Heart Foundation for cardiac treatment. He tested positive for Covid-19 in a rapid antigen test before undergoing an angiogram and was later transferred to the Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital.

The last Covid-19 cases in Sylhet were reported on June 15 last year, when two people tested positive.

Meanwhile, measles cases have been rising in Sylhet. According to the divisional health directorate, 809 people have been diagnosed with measles this year, while 122 people with measles symptoms have died. Twenty-one new cases were reported in the past 24 hours.

The 100-bed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, designated for measles treatment, was treating 135 patients as of Saturday, putting additional pressure on its services.

Health experts have expressed concern over keeping a Covid-19 patient in the same hospital, warning that treating patients with multiple infectious diseases at the facility could increase the risk of transmission.

According to health department data available until Friday, 121 dengue cases have also been recorded in Sylhet this year, with one woman dying from the disease.

Health officials have urged people to remain cautious, avoid crowded places, wear masks outdoors and maintain hand hygiene to help prevent further infections.