COVID
ICRC drive against corona pandemic in the south-eastern hills
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a three-month programme in 31 government-run health complexes in Chittagong Hill Tracts for prevention and control the spread of Covid-19 infections.
The drive has been taken up in collaboration with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS).Communities across the three districts who visit these health facilities – including three District Sadar Hospitals and 22 Upazilla Health Complexes – in Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban districts of will benefit from this Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) program amid the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a ICRC press release.
Also read: ICRC extends support for dignified management of dead during COVID-19The multi-layered strategy of the IPC program includes: imparting remote training to BDRCS volunteers, who in turn train existing cleaning staff of all government-run health structures while ensuring the availability of Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) and appropriate cleaning/disinfectant materials and tools.Around 160 cleaners from these 31 health facilities will receive training on the full IPC program (personal safety, cleaning, and disinfection procedure). Materials like chlorine, gloves, face shields, protective outwear, gumboots, and masks are distributed among the health facilities as part of the donation under this program.To avoid community transmission during the pandemic, 1200 households across the CHT region, which are being supported under other joint programs run by the ICRC and BDRCS, will also be provided with basic hygiene promotion items.
Also read: ICRC, Cox's Sadar Hospital working to strengthen emergency healthcare services The latest phase of IPC program across the CHT region will continue until mid-September 2021.“This phase incorporates the lessons learnt from the previous intervention, and integrates best practice while undertaking doable actions with impacts," said Massimo Russo, Water and Habitat Delegate of ICRC Bangladesh.Earlier, between September to December 2020, the ICRC and the BDRCS implemented a first phase of the IPC program in all government health facilities of CHT districts, serving around 1.6 million people.
Bangladesh reports alarming 82 Covid deaths, highest in 52 days
As the Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh has taken a turn for the worse again, 82 more people died of coronavirus in 24 hours until Sunday morning.
This is the highest daily death toll in the last 52 days as the country logged 88 deaths on April 29 this year.
During the period, 3,641 more Covid cases were detected after the test of 22,231 samples, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
This takes the test positivity rate to 16.38% today from Saturday’s 18.02%.
However, the country's fatality rate remained static at 1.59%.
With the new numbers, the country’s caseload now stood at 851,668 while the death toll at 13,548, said the DGHS handout.
As of now, 782,655 people have recovered from the disease taking the recovery rate to 91.90%.
Also read: Bangladesh to start administering Pfizer vaccine doses Monday
Bangladesh’s recovery rate has been falling for more than a week now.
Of the fatalities, Khulna division reported the highest number of 32 deaths for the second consecutive day while Dhaka division 21, Rajshahi 12, Chattogram nine, Mymensingh four, Sylhet two and Barishal and Rangpur divisions one each.
Pfizer vaccine rollout Monday
Bangladesh’s health workers are gearing up to start administering the first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in capital Dhaka on Monday with 100,620 doses of vaccine from COVAX facility.
Prof Shamsul Haque, Line Director of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and a member of the Vaccine Distribution Committee, disclosed it in a health briefing on Sunday.
Covid situation in Bangladesh going from bad to worse; 67 more die
Covid-19 in Bangladesh claimed the lives of 67 people in 24 hours until Saturday morning, the highest daily deaths in 48 days.
The country last recorded 69 deaths on May 2 this year.
Meanwhile, 3,057 new infections were detected after testing 16,964 samples, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHs).
Also read: Covid: Bangladesh's daily positivity rate jumps to 18.59%; 54 lives lost
With these, the country's death toll rose to 13,466 while the caseload to 848,027.
However, the positivity rate slightly fell to 18.02% from Friday’s 18.59% while the death rate remained static at 1.59%, shows the DGHS handout.
Friday’s positivity rate was the highest in two months.
Thakurgaon records highest single-day rise in Covid cases at 109
Thakurgaon logged 109 fresh Covid cases in the past 24 hours till Thursday night, the district's highest single-day spike this year.
The new infections were detected after testing 334 samples, said civil surgeon Dr Mahfuzar Rahman Sarkar. "The new cases have pushed up the district’s positivity rate to 32.63%," he said.
Also read: 23 more infected with Covid-19 in Thakurgaon
While 64 people tested positive for Covid after testing samples at M Abdur Rahim Medical College in Dinajpur, Communicable Disease Control Centre, Thakurgaon Sadar Hospital, and the upazila hospital, the remaining cases were confirmed by the National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Center Dhaka, the civil surgeon said.
So far, some 2266 people in Thakurgaon have been infected with the virus, while 51 have died of Covid.
Also read: Cattle markets in Thakurgaon closed for a week due to Covid
Meanwhile, the district administration on Thursday ordered the closure of all cattle markets in Thakurgaon for a week to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Also the district and upazila authorities have imposed strict restrictions such as the closure of all shops in the district by 5pm to break the chain of Covid transmission.
Covid-19 in Bangladesh: New cases get close to 2,000; 30 more die
Amid the rising infections in frontier districts, Bangladesh reported 1,970 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours until Monday morning.
The deadly virus also claimed 30 more lives during the period, pushing up the death toll to 12,869.
The positivity rate increased to 11.47% from Sunday's 10.73 % while the mortality rate remained static at 1.58 %, a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
The total number of coronavirus cases climbed to 8,12,960 with the fresh cases.
During the same time at least 1,918 Covid-19 patients have recovered in this period.
The total number of recoveries now stands at 7,53,240 with a recovery rate of 92.65 %.
Among the recent deaths, 19 were men and 11 women.
Of them, 11 died in Chattogram, 7 in Dhaka, 4 in Sylhet, 3 in Khulna, 2 each in Rajshahi and Mymensingh and 1 in Rangpur.
Besides, three were between 31-40 years’ old, three within 41-50, two between 51-60 and 22 were above 60 years old, added the DGHS handout.
Indian variant of Covid may wreak havoc on Bangladesh: GM Quader
Voicing deep concern over the outbreak of Indian Covid variant in bordering areas, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday warned that the nation will have pay a heavy price for lack of measures to stop it.
“The way Indian (Delta) variant of the Coronavirus has been spreading in frontier districts is extremely alarming,” he said in a statement.
The Jatiya Party chief said though the infection and fatality rates of the deadly virus are increasing day by day, many people are still entering Bangladesh from India every night dodging the border guards. “So, the frontier districts must be put under a stricter lockdown.”
Also read: No support from ministry for local Covid vaccine: GM Quader
GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said the members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) can be deployed in those districts to implement the lockdown. “We’ve to pay a heavy price if any lenient attitude is shown towards the Indian variant.”
He said the government must ensure adequate food support to the bordering districts alongside imposing the lockdown.
“Hungry people can never be kept confined to their homes without ensuring food for them,” the Jatiya Party chairman observed.
Besides, he said, healthcare services need to be improved rapidly at the district level.
GM Quader said all the district hospitals, including the bordering ones, must be equipped with adequate oxygen support, necessary medicines and other equipment to deal with the growing number of Covid patients.
Also read: Take mega projects to improve healthcare system: GM Quader
The highly contagious Indian variant of the coronavirus was detected in Bangladesh for the first time on May 8 and it is spreading in different parts of the country, including Dhaka.
Experts fear that Bangladesh may face the worst outbreak of the deadly virus by the end of June.
Bangladesh closed its border with India for any kind of movement except that of cargo on April 26 which was later extended till June 14 to control the spread of coronavirus as the situation in the neighbouring country has deteriorated.
Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 38 more deaths, 1,676 new cases
Amid the growing concern over the spread of Delta variant, 38 more people died of Covid-19 in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours until Sunday morning, putting the death toll at 12,839.
Besides, 1,676 more people found positive for the virus after testing 15,613 samples during the period, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new infections pushed up the total caseload to 8,10, 990, while the positivity rate fell to 10.73% today from Saturday’s 11.03% and the mortality rate remained static at 1.58%, said the DGHS.
Also read: 7 cases of Indian Covid variant detected in Nawabganj: Doctor
As of now, 7,51, 322 people have recovered from the virus putting the recovery rate at 92.64%.
Of the deceased, 25 were male and 13 were female today.
Bangladesh reported its first Covid cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Also read: Covid cases rising in Thakurgaon; 17 more detected
16 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
As many as 16 Covid patients have died in the past 24 hours at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH), health officials said on Friday.
This is the highest single-day death toll recorded in the hospital to date.
Hospital Director Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani said that of the deceased, 10 were Covid-19 positive patients while other six others showed symptoms of the virus.
Also read: 10 Covid patients die in one day at RMCH
Of the deceased, nine were from Chapainawabganj district, six from Rajshahi and one was from Naogaon district, according to the hospital authorities.
With the fresh deaths, the district's fatality count has reached 93 people since May 24. Of them, 56 were confirmed Covid patients.
In the past 24 hours, some 32 people have been admitted to the hospital with Covid-19 symptoms. Of them, 15 patients are from Chapainawabganj, 13 from Rajshahi district, three from Pabna and one from Natore district, said hospital sources.
It may be mentioned here that authorities in some districts, including Rajshahi, have already imposed strict restrictions for a week to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Also read: Covid-19: Strict restrictions imposed in Rajshahi, parts of Khulna, Naogaon
This was after the government recently empowered the district authorities to take a call on lockdown restrictions in their respective areas.
Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil announced the restrictions on Wednesday afternoon. No one will be allowed to step out of the house from 7 pm to 6 am in Rajshahi until June 9 unless there's an emergency, according to the order m
All business establishments will remain shut and no vehicles are allowed to ply on the roads except those providing emergency services. However, restaurants and traders can provide their services online.
On May 31, Bangladesh Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said, “District administrations have been given the power to enforce lockdown in their respective areas if the Covid situation worsens there.”
Due to the recent rise in Covid infections in the districts bordering India, district administrations have imposed lockdowns in Khulna, Satkhira and parts of Naogaon districts too.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Thursday recorded 30 new coronavirus-related deaths and some 1,687 fresh cases in 24 hours.
Health authorities detected the new cases after testing 16,982 samples during the period. The number of tests has also increased over the past one week.
With the new cases, the country's total caseload has risen to 8,05,980, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new deaths have pushed up the fatality count to 12,724.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
India's Reliance developing a tapeworm drug to treat Covid
India's richest man Mukesh Ambani-owned oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries is working to develop a new anti-Covid formulation -- a tapeworm drug -- as the country grapples with a devastating second wave of the pandemic.
Reliance has disclosed the information about the drug 'Niclosamide' as a possible cure for coronavirus in its annual report for the financial year 2020-21, filed with markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
India has recorded over 28 million cases to date -- second only to the US -- and is now the epicentre of the global pandemic. The country has also recorded more than 300,000 deaths, the third-highest fatality count in the world, behind the US and Brazil.
Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the world's largest Covid vaccination drive on January 16, the country is currently facing an acute shortage of jabs.
Serum Institute-produced Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Covishield and local company Bharat Biotech's Covaxin are currently being given to citizens. Covishield is also being used in Bangladesh's mega inoculation drives.
Moreover, in view of the ongoing pandemic, Reliance has decided to pay full salaries for five years to the families of employees who succumbed to Covid-19, and put in place a liberal leave policy for the serving staff affected by coronavirus.
In a statement, the conglomerate has said that under the 'Reliance Family Support and Welfare Scheme', it would fully fund tuition fees, hostel accommodation and books of all the children of the deceased employees, up to graduation.
Reliance has also promised 100 percent payment of premium for hospitalisation coverage for the spouse, parents and children of those employees."Further, all colleagues affected by Covid-19 personally or within their family can avail the special Covid-19 leave for the full duration of their recovery, both physically and emotionally," according to the statement signed by Mukesh and his wife Nita.
The second richest person in Asia and the 14th richest in the world, Mukesh's current net worth is around USD 78 billion. His Reliance Group is now India's most valuable company by market capitalisation.
UNB had earlier reported about Mukesh's rumoured plans to hand over three core business areas of Reliance Industries to his three children -- Akash, Isha and Anant -- and also about his aggressive fundraising spree to make his conglomerate debt-free amid the pandemic.
The fundraising spree was aimed at reducing Reliance's dependence on the flagship oil sector to diversify into telecom and e-commerce. Last year, Reliance raised USD 15.2 billion by selling stakes in its telecom unit Jio and another USD 7 billion through rights issue.
The digital news outlet had also reported about Reliance's plans to take its telecom arm Jio public in the 2021-22 fiscal, riding on the increased digital adoption across the world, in the wake of Covid. India's internet users are likely to grow to 850 million by 2022.
Finance Minister wants to spend big to deal with Covid
As Covid-19 has devastated normal life, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal proposed to allocate Tk 10,000 crore in the next fiscal year to meet the emergency requirements to respond to the pandemic.
While presenting it in Parliament on Thursday, the finance minister said the budget for FY2021-2022 has been prepared keeping in mind the strategies taken to facilitate the recovery in various sectors of Bangladesh from the shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially to meet the challenges arising in the health sector and the vaccine application issue.
He said the global economy has been put at severe risk due to the prolonged effects of the pandemic and its second wave in different countries around the world.
Also read: Finance Minister writes a big cheque for health sector
Allocations have been made in the proposed budget to meet the targets of each ministry and divisions to address the adverse effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination strategy, management and steps.
The National Deployment and Vaccination Plan has been prepared under the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to protect the lives of people from the Covid-19.
The government procured 3 crore doses of Covishield vaccine of Oxford-AstraZeneca from the Serum Institute of India.
In addition, the minister said, 6.80 crore doses of coronavirus vaccine will be available from the Covax facility under the World Health Organization for 20 percent of Bangladesh population, that is for 3.40 crore people. Out of this, 1.06 lakh doses have already been received.
He said there are plans to buy vaccines from the governments of China and Russia, Pfizer Co. from the USA and Sanofi/GSK from France/Belgium.
Negotiations are at the final stage for procuring Sinopharm vaccine from China and Sputnik-V vaccine from Russia, and, if necessary, manufacturing the same in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, 70 lakh doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine reached Bangladesh, and the governments of India and China gave 32 lakh doses and 5 lakh doses respectively of coronavirus vaccine as gifts.
The World Bank provided US$ 500 million for procuring Covid vaccines and US$ 14.87 million for logistic support.
Also read: Budget: Road to Graduation: Finance Minister shares opportunities, challenges
A loan agreement for US$ 940 million with the ADB to procure vaccines is at the final stage. Alongside, there is a good possibility to receive support for vaccine procurement from the European Investment Bank and AIIB.
Vaccination Plan
The finance minister said plans have been devised to vaccinate 80 percent of people in phases and in the first phase, people with risks will be vaccinated, and 25 lakh vaccines will be given each month.
He said the vaccination programme is being implemented at the field level through coordination between the EPI and the Communication Disease Control (CDC).
The first dose of vaccination in Bangladesh began on February 7 while that of the second dose began on 8 April.
Registration for vaccination and distribution of vaccine certificates and vaccine cards are being done digitally through the surokkha.gov.bd web portal using National ID cards.
Following the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) of the WHO and the National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) of Bangladesh and considering the reality of our country, people aged 40 or above are given priority in the Covid-19 vaccination programme, who constitute 20 percent of the total population.
The vaccination programme is conducted in 1,005 hospital-based vaccination centres across the country. Up to 31 May 2021, 58,22,157 people received vaccines, of which 36,10,635 are male and 22,11,522 are female.
Out of them, 41,73,930 have completed their second doses. The corona vaccine and logistic cold chain management are handled through the existing EPI in the country and the cold chain system of the Directorate General of Health Services.
To keep the regular vaccination programme uninterrupted, senior staff nurses, assistant community medical officers have been assigned as vaccinators.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 30 more deaths, 1,687 new infections
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that the government will ensure free vaccination for all citizens of the country.
For this, the government will provide as much funds as is required to bear the expenses of procuring the required doses of vaccine, said the finance minister, adding, “We’ll make adequate allocations for this purpose in the budget.”