Bangladesh confirms 3 more coronavirus cases

Three more people caught the novel coronavirus in Bangladesh, totalling the country's number of cases to 20.

The new infected people are: two male in their 70s and 30s respectively, and one female, 30. Of them, the septuagenarian is in Incentive Care Unit (ICU).

Additional director of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr prof Nasima Sultana made the disclosure while addressing a press briefing on coronavirus situation on Friday.  

The three patients are of separate families and contracted the virus after coming in contact with their relatives who returned from Italy, she added.  

The DGHS official said 30 people are, so far, now in isolation, and 44 in institutional quarantine. 

Bangladesh reported the country’s first death from coronavirus on March 18.

Earlier on March 8, the country reported its first three cases of COVID-19. With today's confirmed three cases, total number stood at 20. Among them, one ill-fate died, said IEDCR.

Gradually rise of the coronavirus cases in Bangladesh prompted the government to close all educational institutions, put Shibchar, an upazila of the country's Madaripur district, on lockdown, shut down all bars, and impose restrictions on all kinds of political, social, cultural and religious gatherings in an effort to stem the spread of the virus. 

The new coronavirus pandemic, first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, kept spreading to newer countries.

The deadly virus spread to at least 180 countries, killing some 10,047 people globally, according to Worldometer, a website which compiles number of new coronavirus cases and deaths from it.

As many as 245,850 people worldwide caught the virus. Among them, 88,441 people recovered from the virus, the website said.