Background The ongoing acute respiratory disease pandemic termed COVID-19 caused by a newly emerged coronavirus has jeopardized the world’s health and economic sectors. As of 20 July 2020, the virus now known as SARS-CoV-2 has already infected more than 14 million individuals and killed 612,815 patients with a mortality rate of 4.12% around the world regardless of age, gender, and race. Main body Bangladesh has become one of its worst sufferers, with 207,453 infected people and 2668 related deaths with a mortality rate of 1.29% until 20 July 2020. More than 50% of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh are aged between 21 and 40, but elderly people aged more than 60 have the highest mortality rate (44.7%). Male individuals are also more susceptible to the virus than females and consist of 71% and 79% among the infected and deceased patients, respectively. The most prevalent clinical features following the virus incubation period are fever, fatigue, and dry cough. A phylogenetic analysis study elucidated that the virus strain found in the country has 9 single-nucleotide variants, mostly in the ORF1ab gene, and a sequence containing 3 successive variants in the N protein, which reflects a weaker strain of SARS-CoV-2, implicating a possibility of its lower mortality rate. Another investigation of 184 genome samples of SARS-CoV-2 across the country implicated a close homology with a European haplotype of SARS-CoV-2. The country has also joined the race of vaccine development and started phase III clinical trials of a candidate vaccine developed by Sinovac Research and Development Co Ltd, China. Conclusion Bangladesh, as a developing country, still struggles with the pandemic and needs to scale up its response operation and improve healthcare facilities such as testing capacity, institutional quarantine, and isolation centers and promote awareness. Preventive measures such as strict lockdown, social distancing, and boosting the existing immune system are thus considered the only contrivances.

Two varieties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) were used for the nutritional analysis. Water soluble protein contents of Red sweet potato were higher than that of White potato. In the case of starch, total sugar, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugars of Red sweet potatoes were also higher than that of White sweet potatoes. The comparative amounts of minerals present in sweet potatoes were also studied. The calcium content of Red sweet potato was higher than that of White sweet potato. But potassium, Manganese, and Iron were slightly higher than that of Red sweet potatoes. The sweet potato was also a good source of Zinc, Lead, and Arsenic. The aim of the study comprises the determination of the nutritive value of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas). Keywords: sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, cancer, inflammatory disease, macronutrients.

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Background: The ongoing acute respiratory disease pandemic termed COVID-19 caused by a newly emerged coronavirus has jeopardized the world's health and economic sectors. As of July 20, 2020, the virus now known as SARS-CoV-2 has already infected more than 14 million individuals and killed 612,815 patients with a mortality rate of 4.12% around the world regardless of age, gender and race.Main body: Bangladesh has become one of its worst sufferers, with 207,453 infected people and 2,668 related deaths with a mortality rate of 1.29% until July 20, 2020. More than 50% of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh are aged between 21 and 40 but elderly people aged more than 60 have the highest mortality rate (44.7%). Male individuals are also more susceptible to the virus than females and consist of 71% and 79% among the infected and deceased patients respectively. The most prevalent clinical features following the virus incubation period are fever, fatigue and dry cough. A phylogenetic analysis study elucidated that the virus strain found in the country has 9 single-nucleotide variants, mostly in the ORF1ab gene, and a sequence containing 3 successive variants in the N protein, which reflects a weaker strain of SARS-CoV-2, implicating a possibility of its lower mortality rate. Another investigation of 184 genome samples of SARS-CoV-2 across the country implicated a close homology with a European haplotype of SARS-CoV-2. The country has also joined the race of vaccine development and started phase-III clinical trials of a candidate vaccine developed by Sinovac Research and Development Co Ltd, China. Conclusion:Bangladesh, as a developing country, still struggles with the pandemic and needs to scale up its response operation and improve health care facilities such as testing capacity, institutional quarantine and isolation centers and promote awareness. Preventive measures such as strict lockdown, social distancing and boosting the existing immune system are thus considered the only contrivances.

Enzyme activity was also determined from the Red sweet potato and white sweet potato. The activities of Amylase, Cellulase, Invertase, & protease were 0.093±0.01, 0.05±0.02, 0.062± 0.015, 0.043± 0.02, for Red while 0.088± 0.01, 0.073 ±0.02, 0.072 ±0.015 & 0.050± 0.02 for White sweet potato. Amylase was partially purified from the extract of sweet potato using DEAE cellulose column chromatography. On the purity checking and molecular weight determination on SDS-PAGE. The molecular weight was determined by SDS-PAGE to be 64±1 kDa. The partially purified amylase from sweet potato is β-type is confirmed by HgCl2.The optimum pH & temperatures of partially purified β-amylase were 7.5 and 55◦c respectively. Amylolytic activity of this enzyme is 105% and 55% for amylopectin and Amylase. This enzyme does not affect maltose and maltotetraose. Metallic ions like Fe3+, Mn2+, Mg2+, and EDTA increased amylase activity while other ions like Cu+2, Hg+2, Pb+2, and urea reduced the amylase activity. The study indicates the importance of β-amylase as a starch degrading enzyme. This enzyme showed less toxicity towards brine shrimp nauplii with the Lc50 value of 1970.288µg/ml. This enzyme did not show any antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus subtilis. Keywords: Sweet potato, Ipomoea Batatas, Starch, Amylase, Protease.