231 Russians of Rooppur nuclear power plant project get coronavirus

At the Rooppur nuclear power plant construction project underway in Pabna, 231 of the Russian workers have contracted coronavirus.

Of them, 144 are under treatment in four hospitals, the hospital authorities confirmed on Saturday.

The medical advisor (Russian desk) of the Rooppur Nuclear Power plant construction project, Mohammad Fakhrul Islam on Saturday told Prothom Alo that three of the Russians admitted to hospital were suffering from respiratory problems and the lungs of one of them was 70 per cent affected. However, they were now all in stable condition.

Of the affected, 46 Russian nationals were admitted to Rajshahi CDM hospital, said the hospital’s director Shamima Chowdhury on Saturday afternoon. Another 35 were being treated at New Green City Hospital and Diagnostic in Ishwardy. Four of them recovered and left the hospital on Saturday.

Another 67 of the Russians have been brought to Dhaka for treatment. Of them, 46 have been admitted to Dhaka Central International Medical College and Hospital in Shyamoli, and 22 are at AMZ Hospital in Badda.

Project physician Mohammad Fakhrul Islam said there are around 3,600 Russians working at the Rooppur project. In the first phase, 1000 and in the second phase 300 of them were given the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine. Among these Russian corona patients from the Rooppur project, 10 had been vaccinated.