The visiting Chinese medical experts have advised institutional quarantine for international travelers, irrespective of whether they are in good health or not.

They must be taken to institutional quarantine for 14 days after the nucleic acid test, said the Chinese experts.

The Chinese side said that use of Ritonavir, Resochin, Ribavirin, and Arbidol can be effective to some extent.

When asked about the high infected rate of police in Bangladesh, Chinese experts pointed out that the police personnel did not zip up the PPE well, but exposed it in the air.

They suggested that there is no need to wear PPE in the open space, while washing hands frequently and wearing masks in the right way are highly important.

As the last destination of the day, the team went to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport where Obeidur Rahman, Director of Aviation Security (AVSEC), welcomed the team with around 20 attendees at the VIP Lounge, according to Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.

In his speech, he extended great appreciation to the team as well as to China for the effective control of the pandemic and thanked China’s all-out support and cooperation in Bangladesh.

Afjal Arfan Sabuj voiced the same and talked about the existing prophylactic measures in the airport.

When the passengers come from abroad, they need to fill the form of declaration of health; and pass infrared thermometer scanners.

They are allowed to go for a 14-day home quarantine if they are in good health.

If not, they are sent to Bashundhara COVID-19 Field Center.

‘No’ to antibody tests

Despite on and off rain, it has been entirely an eventful day for the Chinese experts as they have held a highly successful meeting and very engaging sessions with Bangladeshi counterparts and other distinguished officials going to Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital (HFRCMCH), Bashundhara COVID-19 Field Center, and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on the 5th day of their Bangladesh visit.

Like in the previous days, Minister Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) of the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka Yan Hualong accompanied the team along with his fellow colleagues, according to Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.

As the team reached in the morning, the top officials of the Bangladesh Chapter of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRS) and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), totaling 30, gave a warm welcome and conveyed immense gratitude and thanks to Chinese President Xi Jinping for sending these "vastly experienced" COVID-19 experts to Bangladesh in this time of need.

Professor Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal, Head of Medicine at HFRCMCH, introduced the hospital and briefed about the current condition there and the overall pandemic situation in Bangladesh.

In his presentation, he pointed out that there is a constant rise in the infection and death toll despite the comprehensive measures taken by the government and sought suggestions from Chinese experts.

Li Wenxiu, Deputy Director-General of Hainan Provincial Health Commission and Head of the visiting team, introduced his fellow experts and said that this visit, happening as a result of the latest phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reflects the unwaveringly growing strong ties between China and Bangladesh.

He reaffirmed that the experts will spare no effort to share their experience of field-level success with the Bangladeshi friends and reiterated that such an opportunity of joining with Bangladesh during this fight against COVID-19 is their greatest honour.

Li also paid tribute to the achievements Bangladesh has made in fighting COVID-19 despite thin resources and the rescue efforts of front-line medical workers.

In reply to the queries of HFRCMCH experts about the specific medicine for the virus, use of the elevator in hospital and whether Bangladesh can resort to antibody testing in place of nucleic acid or not, given the limited capacity of the test, the Chinese side said that use of Ritonavir, Resochin, Ribavirin, and Arbidol can be effective to some extent.

They said the elevator can be used in hospitals, but to do so, it needs to be divided for the use of doctors and patients, and one must be disinfected and clean enough before entering.

The team said ‘no’ to antibody tests instead of nucleic acid and suggested to boost the test capacity by increasing the number of test agencies, strengthening the roster of test staff, and improving the accuracy of tests.

During this session, Bangladeshi experts also showed a strong interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) like "lung-clearing and detoxing soup" and the Chinese side enlightened them in response.

The experts of the hospital stressed that the frequent and fruitful exchange between China and Bangladesh chapters of the Red Cross Committee should be regular and held more often.

In the afternoon, the team visited Bashundhara COVID-19 Field Center on the spot, where they carefully looked over the full conditions, including the medical facilities which consist of 2000 beds, about 200 patients with a mild condition, 71 ICUs and 10 respirators.

They also made necessary suggestions for further improvement while interacting with the doctors there.