Floods join COVID-19 to batter Bangladesh

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Two more Rohingyas tested COVID-19 positive in the refugee camps in southern Bangladesh on Friday as the total number of infections in the country topped the 250,000 mark.

With the fresh infections, the total virus cases among the persecuted Rohingya community, who fled state persecution in Myanmar and took refuge in Bangladesh’s district of Cox’s Bazar, reached 78 with six deaths, said the Government Refugee Commissioner’s office.

Meanwhile, another 2,851 people tested positive in the last 24 hours across the country, pushing the tally to 252,502. With 27 new deaths, the number of fatalities rose to 3,333.

The country of above 165 million people could conduct only 13,253 tests in the last 24 hours due to the ongoing floods that have crippled life. Flood-related casualties in the country have risen to 169 with 8 more deaths in the last 24 hours.