Freedom Fighter and veteran journalist Md Saiduzzaman Sarker Tara died of COVID-19 on Friday night. He was 70.

Saiduzzaman, a senior member of Bogura Press Club and also executive editor of the weekly Hatiar, was undergoing treatment at Mohammad Ali Hospital and tested positive for the virus.

He was the organising secretary of Sector Commanders Forum of Rajshahi divisional committee.

Shafiq Amin, residential medical officer of the hospital, said that Saiduzzaman was admitted there on June 25 with breathing problem.

Including Saiduzzaman, a total of nine journalists and media workers died of COVID-19 while seven others died with symptoms.

According to media houses and journalist organisations, until Saturday, 497 journalists and media workers were affected by the novel coronavirus. Of them, 382 from Dhaka and 115 from across the country.

They were from 128 media houses including 74 newspapers, 27 television channels, 21 internet news portals, five radios and one news agency.