Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 3 deaths in 24 hours

Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh has eased with the health authorities reporting three deaths and 206 fresh cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.

Dhaka, Nov 9 :  Amid the global race to vaccinate people, the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh has eased with the health authorities reporting three deaths and 206 fresh cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning

 The new casualties marked a slight drop from Monday’s six deaths and 215 fresh cases.

 Both the daily-case positivity and the mortality rates remained unchanged at 1.28 per cent and at 1.78 per cent respectively, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

 The fresh cases were detected after testing 17,530 samples.

 Two of the three deceased were men and one was a woman.

 With the fresh numbers, the Covid-19 fatalities reached 27,904 while the caseload climbed to 1,571,434, according to the DGHS.

 Also, the recovery rate remained unchanged at 97.71 percent, with the recovery of 356 more patients during the period.

 So far, 31,622,370 people have fully been vaccinated in the country while 46,707,885 received the first dose as of Monday, said the DGHS.

Two Bangladeshi companies get DGDA nod for marketing oral Covid drug

Another reports adds:  The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has authorised two local pharmaceutical companies for marketing Molnupiravir, the first oral Covid-19 antiviral drug.

Major General Md Mahbubur Rahman, Director General of the DGDA, came up with the information at a press briefing on Tuesday.

“DGDA has approved Molnupiravir for emergency use but it’s not an alternative to vaccine. People must take Covid jabs. This oral medicine has to be taken as per the advice of physicians,” he said.

“So far, 10 pharmaceutical companies have sought permission for marketing and we have authorised Beximco Pharmaceuticals and Eskayef Pharmaceuticals for marketing. The eight other companies awaiting approval are Square, General, Beacon, Reneta, Insepta, Acme, Health Care and Popular pharmaceuticals,” he added.

The DGDA Director General said it is a five-dose course and people have to take eight pills each day in five days.

Already Molnupiravir is available in the local market and controlling Covid-19 will be easier if it is used, he said.

“The medicine can reduce the mortality rate and risk of hospitalization by half. No one below 18 can take the oral antiviral medicine,” said Mahbubur.

The first pill- molnupiravir, designed to treat symptomatic Covid, has recently been approved by the UK medicines regulator, according to a BBC report.

The tablet - molnupiravir - will be given twice a day to vulnerable patients recently diagnosed with the disease.

In clinical trials, the pill, originally developed to treat flu, cut the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half.

First oral treatment

Molnupiravir, developed by the US drug companies Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is the first antiviral medication for Covid which can be taken as a pill rather than injected or given intravenously, reports UNB.