Weekly COVID-19 cases, deaths double in Bangladesh
People without wearing masks and maintaining social distancing jostle to get on a bus at the Biman Bandar bus stop in Dhaka on Saturday amid a deteriorating COVID-19 situation. — Sony Ramany
The numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths nearly doubled in a week as the coronavirus situation is deteriorating fast in Bangladesh.
In the 54th week of its coronavirus outbreak ending on Saturday, the country recorded 12,470 infected cases while the figure in the previous week was 6,512, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
The week witnessed 141 deaths against 76 in the 53rd week.
The week’s test positivity rate also soared — to 8.93 per cent — from 5.60 per cent in the previous week.
The health agency on Saturday said that 1,868 new COVID-19 patients were detected in the past 24-hour period ending at 8:00am on the day, raising the total number of cases to 5,68,706.
Some 19,900 samples were tested across the country in the 24 hours and the positivity rate was 9.39 per cent.
Besides, 26 people died of the coronavirus infection during the period, taking the death toll to 8,668.
Bangladesh has been witnessing a rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths since the beginning of March after experiencing much fewer cases and deaths in January and February.
DGHS director general ABM Khurshid Alam and director Mizanur Rahman were also infected with COVID-19 on Friday, officials confirmed.
While the number of daily coronavirus cases in February was 300–400, with 7–10 daily deaths, the average number of daily cases climbed to 930 with 10 daily deaths in the 53rd week. The 54th week saw 1,781 daily cases and 20 daily deaths, on average.
On Thursday, the country logged a whopping 2,187 new COVID-19 cases, recording the highest number of daily cases in 101 days.
The test positivity rate also soared, hitting 10.45 per cent on the day, which was the highest in 94 days.
On Friday the test positivity rate was 10.04 per cent with 1,899 people detected with COVID-19.
Bangladesh on March 8, 2020 logged its first three COVID-19 cases and on March 18, 2020 its first death from the disease.
Initially the daily test positivity rate was low, but it started increasing from mid-May. Toward the end of that month, the rate went above 20 per cent, which continued until the third week of August.
Since then the daily rate had started decreasing, dropping below 3 per cent, but it has been increasing for quite some time and now hovers around 10 per cent.
In the two months before March, the country’s coronavirus situation was relatively better, with the daily test positivity rate dropping to roughly 2.5 per cent.
As noted medicine expert MA Jalil Chowdhury on Thursday told New Age, the COVID-19 situation has been worsening fast in the country.
He urged people to wear masks and wash hands and to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities.
The DGHS chief in an emergency meeting with experts on Tuesday suggested that the government should impose a complete lockdown throughout the country to rein in the coronavirus situation as both COVID-19 infections and deaths were spiking again.
If a countrywide complete lockdown is not possible, the DGHS authority advised the government to restrict public movement maintaining the country’s ‘economic balance’.
The meeting also advised the government against opening educational institutions.
Health minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday resented that people were carelessly moving around and even were going on recreational trips to tourist destinations violating the health rules.
‘The country is yet to get rid of COVID-19. It’s no time for recreation. Please have patience. You will be able to tour a lot if you survive COVID-19,’ he urged people while talking to reporters at an event in the capital on Thursday.
New Age
