Bangladesh government has been able to efficiently manage and avert a major human catastrophe with regard to extensive transmission of Covid-19 which has created a larger health and economic burden around the globe.
This comes at a time when many developed countries are still grappling with the deadly virus despite having the most advanced health technologies and having many other advantages.
Many health experts had predicted that Bangladesh, with high population density and having low resources, could face an enormous challenge of coping with a disease which is completely new to mankind.
Predictions were there that with such high rates of uncontrollable virus transmission, literally unknown to the world, Bangladesh could face a tragedy of extremely high rates of deaths and infections.
However, thanks to the strong and capable leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who wasted no time in taking decisions for early intervention with whatever the world experts had to offer.
She had wisely acted to protect human lives first and quickly mobilised resources when many leaders had an air of uncertainty.
Based on the recommendations of national and global experts, the Prime Minister focused on dealing with the threats of the pandemic with whatever resources Bangladesh had.
In respect to Bangladesh’s high density of population, low awareness on hygiene practice and literacy rate, especially among the rural population, and marginally poor capacity on patient management in hospitals, the highly contagious alien coronavirus could have turned even more deadly.
The global index on total corona positive cases, death, recoveries, active and serious cases show Bangladesh in the 29th position as of July 9, 2021. The index puts the USA on top of the list followed by many nations like France, the UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Germany, Canada, Sweden and Belgium.
The index, which uses United Nations ‘Geoscheme’ for the global statistics, clearly shows how Bangladesh, when compared with its position in the list, is doing far better than even the most advanced and developed countries in the world.
Here is a comparison on corona deaths. The USA, with over 33 crore population and the country being over 20 times bigger than Bangladesh has reported 1,869 deaths in every 10 lakh population while Bangladesh has only 95 per 10 lakh population.
The total deaths in the USA until Friday has stood at 622,213 compared to only 15,792 in Bangladesh. France with 65,420,519 population has reported 1,701 deaths in every 10 lakh with total deaths standing at 111,284.
Similarly, the UK, Germany, Canada, Belgium and Sweden have reported 1,880, 1,091, 693, 93,848 and 1,437 deaths respectively per 10 lakh population. The total deaths in those countries have stood at 128,336, 91,701, 26,405, 25,196 and 14,603.
In many of these developed nations, literacy rates, population density and of course, general public awareness on hygiene practice, is far better than in Bangladesh.
The worst-case scenario of coronavirus outbreak in these countries reflects the efficiency and benefits of timely decision on prevention of spread of the virus in Bangladesh.
Tariqul Islam, one of the key advisers of the national committee on coronavirus, told the Bangladesh Post, “The government is committed to following any advice of the committee based on science and it has done so very efficiently, like enforcing lockdowns, wearing face masks, and banning mass gatherings. But the problem is a section of the society cares least about the threats of coronavirus transmission. The ‘defiant’ groups of people cannot be motivated by just penalising them with monetary fines or arresting them. They have to understand the situation.”
Professor Tarikul, a senior medicine specialist of the 17-member national technical advisory committee to advise on tackling the spread of Covid-19, explained that lockdown is not a permanent solution. “It is simply a temporary measure like the window period. It is to reduce pressure on the hospitals so that we can best serve the (corona) patients during the period. If patients continue to arrive because of our ‘insincerity’ then it would be a disaster in future.”
He compared the current situation with the crisis in the USA. “America having one of the best public healthcare facilities in the world is struggling to cope with the rush of patients. Over six lakh people already died in that country. I think we are in a far better position but that does not mean we are relieved. We live in a society having ignorant people who do not believe in hygiene practice.”
Professor Tarikul warned that last year the virus travelled from cities to peripheries (districts) and now it is just reverse – more aggressive coronavirus is traveling from districts to cities which poses a bigger risk if we are not careful and motivated.
Experts said Bangladesh has all the elements of a ‘corona time bomb’ to explode and cause human catastrophe. They cited examples of almost non-existence of hygiene practice in rural areas and city slums where people live in congested makeshift homes.
They also mentioned that traditionally people in Bangladesh care less about social distancing and wearing face masks in public places. Behaviour pattern shows that a very few understand the significance of self-quarantine and consulting doctors if symptoms of coronavirus infection is noticed.
Professor Nazrul Islam, an eminent virologist who is also a key member of the national advisory committee, told the Bangladesh Post, “We are coping well with the macro-level strategies like imposing lockdowns and banning mass gatherings but we now need to focus more on micro-level strategies.”
He said, “We have not been able to implement mass-level screening, tracing out the roots and isolating those who are potential virus transmitters. We must lay emphasis on quarantine and treating patients in total isolation. Many countries have achieved benefits by following such strategies.”
Professor Nazrul warned that there are people who are asymptomatic but potentially carrying and spreading the virus. In such cases, random screening on suspected cases is a must to check wider transmission of the virus, he added.
Many experts also said Bangladesh was one of the first few developing countries to order and pay in advance for coronavirus vaccines for its population. In fact, such advanced thinking can only come from a visionary leader like Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who continues to show the world that with the burden of corona the country’s economic growth is still positive beating many vibrant economies like Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.