Shawdesh Desk: Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control & Research (IEDCR) Director Meerjady Sabrina Flora today urged the people not to be panicked over the coronavirus issue, but remain aware of it.

“Be aware but not be panicked over the coronavirus issue as nobody has so far become infected with the virus in our country,” she said.

The chief of IEDCR, country’s state-run disease monitoring wing, told this to newsmen while holding a briefing at its Mohakhali office.
No new suspected patient has been admitted to any hospital, she said.

While talking about the crews of the flight that brought 312 Bangladeshis back to Dhaka from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the locked down epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, and the doctors who went on that flight, the IEDCR chief said they are now at home quarantine and have been advised not to go out.

IEDCR has screened a total of 8,396 China returnees until today from January 21, 2020, and all of them were safe.

Dr Flora urged all not to spread any rumor and pay heed to any such rumor about coronavirus, adding that, “The hype regarding wearing mask to avoid coronavirus is useless.”

The disease monitoring wing is running four hotline numbers -01937110011, 01937000011, 01927711784 and 01927711785 – to solve any type of confusion about the virus and creating awareness among people.

IEDCR has screened a total of 5,952 China returnees until February 3 from January 21, 2020, he said.