As many as 5,150 people in Cox’s Bazar, including Rohingyas, have tested positive for Covid-19 since the first case was detected in the district in March and till October 31.
Of those infected, 336 were Rohingyas, sheltered in the 34 refugee camps there, said a report issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday.
As of October 31, some 71 host community members and nine Rohingyas have died from the deadly virus, said the report, adding, “Testing rates for refugees averaged over 100 tests a day in October.”
The Covid-19 treatment services put in place by the authorities and humanitarian agencies in Cox’s Bazar continue to have sufficient capacity to support patients with required medical assistance and in the UNHCR-supported facilities, nearly 470 people — both Rohingyas and locals — have so far received treatment in two Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Isolation and Treatment Centres (SARI ITCs) in Ukhiya and Kutupalong and also in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that UNHCR established at the Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.
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The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar in October decreased, said the UNHCR report, adding that throughout the month, some 55 new people tested positive for the virus.
“Detection and tracing continue to be a high priority, and UNHCR and other agencies are working with refugee Community Health Volunteers (CHV) from the camps to help identify further cases.
“The CHV volunteers provide targeted counselling on testing to refugees identified with Covid-like symptoms and support referrals. On average, during the reporting period, over 100 tests were conducted daily in the camps,” read the report.
“Community-based surveillance mechanisms continue to be one of the most effective ways to identify cases. Over 21,700 refugees have been referred to health services by CHVs since they started their surveillance for Covid-19 in June. As of 31 October, nearly 344 patients were successfully treated and discharged in the UNHCR-supported facilities,” added the report.
