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Virus position stable, yet strict hygiene needed


Published : 10 Jul 2020 10:26 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 07:10 PM

Four months following detection of the coronavirus, the outbreak position of the pandemic in Bangladesh is now stable.
Though the number of infected people has increased, so has the recovery rate.

However, experts believe that this month is especially important because Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals of Muslims, is going to be celebrated at the month’s end. At this time, if people follow social distancing and hygiene rules, the situation is likely to improve further. Otherwise, infections would increase a lot, they say.

According to the DGHS, a total of 918,272 samples have been tested so far, of which 178,443 people have been identified as coronavirus positive. So far, a total of 86,406 people have recovered and 2,275 people died. Considering the total number of infected people, the recovery rate is 48.42 percent and the death rate is 1.27 percent.

Analysis of the data shows that about 56 percent have been identified in the last one month. Some 80 percent of those identified have recovered and about 52 percent of deaths occurred during the period.

The government announced the first COVID-19 case in the country on March 8, and the first death from the infection, on March 18.
The mortality rate in the first month after the virus was detected stood at 9.75 percent, and the recovery rate, 26.82 percent. In the second month, the recovery rate decreased to 15.18 percent. The mortality rate dropped to 1.58 percent. In the third month, the recovery rate rose to 21.14 percent. On the other hand, the death rate decreased to 1.34 percent. In the fourth month, that is, until July 7, the recovery rate increased to 47.31 percent. The death rate decreased to 1.27 percent.

Professor Nazrul Islam, former vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and a member of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19, told Bangladesh Post “over the past few weeks, the rate of infection has remained relatively stable, which is a positive sign. But during Eid-ul-Azha, if people do not follow social distancing and health precautions, coronavirus infection can increase a lot. If we do the right work properly, there is still the opportunity to control the virus”.

"We had many opportunities. But it's too late to take proper action. Some of these steps were also wrong. For example, the quarantine system in Ashkona for overseas returnees was cancelled and they were sent to home quarantine, which was a big mistake. It was also a big mistake to let people go home during the last Eid. On the other hand, the garment workers came to Dhaka, it also was not a good decision. It increased risk of infection. If we make the same mistake during this Eid, the situation could worsen” he added.

Expressing frustration over the awareness of the citizens, the expert said, ‘The government is campaigning so much for urging all to stay at home and those who have symptoms to stay in isolation. But people are not listening to that.’

A report from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, which provides information on the global coronavirus, says that the outbreak of coronavirus in Bangladesh is declining. The report, published on July 6, says that in the 18th week of infection, coronavirus infection and mortality rates in Bangladesh are declining.

A S M Alamgir, chief scientific officer at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research in Bangladesh, said “If all the control measures are put together, the infection will start to decrease by the end of July. However, if the trend of people to go to home towns and villages during the Eid festival, and gather at the cattle markets without maintaining hygiene continues; this stagnation of the infection may take an upward trend again.”

However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken a place in the list of successful women leaders in preventing Coronavirus in the world renowned Forbes magazine.

US Forbes magazine praising Bangladesh for moving forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, wrote that more than 16 crore people live in Bangladesh. Disaster is not a new phenomenon there. And she (Sheikh Hasina) did not make a mistake in making a quick decision to deal with this corona. Praising her decision, the World Economic Forum (WEF) described the issue as "commendable".

In early February, Sheikh Hasina took steps to bring back Bangladeshis living in China. When the first infection was confirmed in early March, all educational institutions were declared closed and less important businesses were instructed to conduct online activities. The government had also declared a general holiday for 66 days all over the country from 26 March to prevent the infection.

However, the Covid-19 situation around the world is deteriorating. An analysis of global data on the Corona epidemic shows that an average of about 200,000 patients have been identified every day in the first ten days of this month, with more than 4,700 deaths. But even last June, less than one 1.5 lakh patients were identified daily, a little more than 4.5 thousand died an average per day. In that month, a total of more than 43 lakh 26 thousand patients were identified around the world, around 1 lakh 35 thousand people died.

On Thursday, at a briefing of member states in Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Corona epidemic was out of control in most countries of the world. The situation is getting worse day by day. The number of infected patients has doubled in the past six weeks. In such a situation, he urged everyone to follow strict hygiene rules.