Arun Bikash Dey

Intern doctors of Chattogram Medical College Hospital suddenly went for work stoppage yesterday following a clash between two factions of CMC unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League the day before, causing suffering to patients.

The 70-bed Bidyanondo Field Hospital was inaugurated at Sagarika in the Halishahar area of the port city on April 15. The hospital is equipped with all facilities to treat Covid-19, said the hospital’s coordinator, Jamal Uddin.

In the week before the enforcement of the strict lockdown on April 14, Chattogram’s rate of infection was hovering around 12 percent to 20 percent. But in the days since then, the rate has jumped up.

Animal lovers in Chattogram have been busy arranging and distributing meals for stray cats and dogs -- who have been starving as shops and restaurants remain closed -- to different areas of the city and adjacent areas.

Before the pandemic, rickshaw-van puller Ramjan Ali used to earn Tk 300-400 by mainly transporting furniture. But his worst times started from April 5, when the government announced the lockdown, which compelled shops to remain shut.

People were seen rushing out of the port city, facing almost no hindrance yesterday, the last day before enforcement of a weeklong lockdown throughout the country. Although the government asked residents to not move from their location, initiatives from the administration to compel people to comply with the directive were absent on the roads.

Demolition process of a five-storey tilted building in Chattogram city started in the afternoon yesterday.

Covid-19 infection rate in Chattogram is highest among people aged between 31 and 40 while the death rate is highest among those above 60, according to the civil surgeon’s office.

With the worsening situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, field hospitals and isolation centres in he port city are opening again, to handle the increasing numbers of patients.

In his 70s and with a chronic kidney disease, port city resident Rupak Paul has a lot to worry about as it is. But for this week, his worries multiplied after the government declared the countrywide lockdown. Rupak has an appointment with a nephrologist today, but as of yesterday, he wasn’t sure if it’s going to take place.

On the first day of the countrywide seven-day lockdown, port city commuters suffered immensely due to acute shortage of public transport.

With the sharp rise of Covid-19 cases, port city is facing a major crisis of available intensive care unit (ICU) beds. With around 60 such beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients in the city’s public and private hospitals, people are running from one hospital to another, only to find out that almost all the beds are already occupied.

Ratna Raha, a retired schoolteacher, stepped out of her home at Chawkbazar’s KB Aman Ali Road yesterday morning. She needed to make a trip to Teribazar area for some emergency shopping.

Despite the sharp rise in Covid-19 infections in Chattogram, people remain apathetic towards health and safety guidelines.

Unable to bring the mosquito menace under control in the port city through drives, repellents and other action, Chattogram City Corporation seems to have “surrendered” the matter to natural phenomena like rain and storm.

SARS COV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, mutated 4,604 times in Bangladesh from April to the first week of December last year, and of the mutations, 34 were unique meaning they do not match any other mutations found in other parts of the world.

The SARS COV-2 has mutated 4,604 times in Bangladesh since the first week of December last year, of which 34 were unique mutations which means they do not match with any other mutation found in the world.

Right after Bangabandhu’s historical March 7 speech, where he asked Bangladeshis to get ready for resistance, the teachers of Chattogram College held a meeting on March 9.

Tension is mounting among the councillors of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) over the elections to panel mayors, scheduled to be held tomorrow.

The project cost for dredging work in Karnaphuli River has increased by 19 percent, as workers now have to remove a thick layer of plastic waste from the riverbed.