Covid-19 in Bangladesh
Covid claims 112 more lives in Bangladesh; positivity rate hits 23.97%
The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh is gradually heading towards a grim level as the country reported 112 more deaths and 7,666 fresh infections in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the new infections, the country’s positivity rate reached another peak of 23.97% from Monday’s 23.86% which was recorded 23.57% last on April 9 this year.
The percentage reached this shocking level after the test of 31,982 samples during the period, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
New infections have been averaging 5,000 for the past few days – 75% of the peak.
Bangladesh is reporting over 100 deaths for the third consecutive day this month.
The country saw a record level of 8,436 Covid cases on Monday and the highest 119 deaths on Sunday since confirming its first cases on March 8 last year.
With the new numbers, the country’s death toll now stands at 14,388 while the caseload at 904,436.
However, the country’s fatality rate remained static at 1.59% while the recovery rate fell to 89.75% following a continuous drop.
Read: Massive vaccination to begin in July: PM
Of the deaths, 35 were reported in Khulna today, recording the highest among all divisions for the third consecutive day, while 22 in Dhaka, 21 in Rajshahi, 16 in Chattogram, 10 in Rangpur, four in Mymensingh, three in Barishal and one in Sylhet divisions.
The Dhaka division remained the highest fatal region recording 7,562 deaths followed by Chattogram with 2,727 deaths, Khulna with 1,235 deaths and Rajshahi with 1,011 deaths.
Nationwide lockdown from Monday, 'all out lockdown’ from July 1
The government will enforce an all out lockdown from July 1 as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases and fatalities with the highly infectious Delta variant playing havoc.
Meanwhile, the country will go into the earlier announced strict lockdown ‘on a limited scale’ from Monday.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting, chaired by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the chair on Saturday evening.
State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain confirmed the development to UNB.
“Nationwide lockdown will begin on Monday. However, for zonal closing of bills of the banking sector and various government offices at the end of the month, the maximum restrictions will kick in from July 1," he said.
Details on the lockdown will be known after the government issues a notification on Sunday, the minister added.
However, public transport will be suspended from Monday according to sources attending the meeting.
Alsor read: COVID-19: Daily caseload drops on back of reduced tests, as positivity keeps rising
Export-oriented factories are likely to be exempted from the restrictions, they said.
Earlier on Saturday, sources within Bangladesh Garment Exporters and Manufacturers Association (BGMEA) confirmed the news to UNB citing a circular issued by the organisation.
Health minister hopes to get 11 crore vaccine doses by December
Bangladesh hopes to procure 11 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines from different sources by December enabling it to provide the jabs to over five crore people, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Saturday.
Speaking at Manikganj Maleque said that negotiations are at an advanced level to sign a vaccine agreement with Russia.
He also added that the country will also receive doses of the Moderna vaccine very soon.
Read: Bangladesh to get 2.5 mn doses of Moderna vaccine
The minister also stated that negotiations with the relevant stakeholders to manufacture vaccines in the country are going on in full swing.
Strict nationwide lockdown in Bangladesh from Monday as Covid situation worsens
The government is going to enforce a new nationwide "strict lockdown" on Monday, as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases and fatalities with the highly infectious Delta variant playing havoc.
The restrictions will remain in place for seven days, said Press Information Department Principal Information Officer Surath Kumar Sarker.
Government and private offices, barring those of emergency services, will remain shut during this period.
All modes of transport, except those carrying emergency goods, will also remain suspended and nobody will be allowed to go out unless there is an emergency.
Also read: From bad to worse: Bangladesh reports 108 new Covid deaths, 5,869 cases
However, the restrictions will not apply to the media, ambulances, and vehicles used for medical purposes.
The Cabinet Division will come up with details regarding the "strict lockdown" on Saturday, Surath said.
The repeated lockdowns have become a threat to the livelihoods of many in Bangladesh while disrupting travel and social lives.
However, experts hope that stricter rules will bring positivity rates and fatalities down as the country is battling to get a second coronavirus wave under control.
Also read: Bangladesh may see dreadful Covid peak ahead of Eid, experts warn
The National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday recommended imposing a "nationwide shutdown" for two weeks considering the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country.
Community transmission of the highly transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus might be the reason behind the current Covid-19 situation in the country, said the committee.
It used the example of India to emphasise that no step other than a "complete shutdown" might be enough to prevent the spread of the Delta variant.
Bangladesh has seen a spike in coronavirus infections and fatalities in recent weeks, with the country reporting its second-highest fatalities – 108 new deaths – and 5,869 cases Friday. It has now seen 878,804 cases and 13,976 deaths.
Bangladesh may see dreadful Covid peak ahead of Eid, experts warn
Amid the rise in Covid cases triggered by local transmission of the Delta variant, experts predict that Bangladesh may see the peak of the current wave of the deadly virus in the third week of July next.
Using a mathematical model, Bangladesh Como Modelling Group, a panel of local and international health experts, also said the number of daily cases is likely to cross 10,000-mark in mid-July, putting a serious pressure on the country’s healthcare system.
They, however, said the severity of the virus infection and fatality rates during the probable peak on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha will depend on the effectiveness of preventive measures, management of cattle markets and control on public movement.
The experts appreciated the government’s move to isolate Dhaka from other parts of the country by suspending road, rail and waterway communications, saying that it may help slow down the virus transmission.
Prevailing situation
Bangladesh reported 20.27% positivity rate and 1.59% fatality rate on Wednesday, the highest since April 21.
DGHS spokesperson Dr Robed Amin said the Covid-19 situation has worsened in the country as the virus has been spreading fast in bordering and other areas of the country. “The number of cases and deaths are gradually rising."
He said they fear that a terrible situation lies ahead if people do not strictly maintain the health safety rules.
Robed said the virus transmission has been showing a gradual upward trend from June 16 and the death rate is now very high.
He said over 70,000 people were diagnosed with Covid this month due to the outbreak of the virus in the frontier areas.
Also read: Advisory committee suggests complete shutdown in Bangladesh for minimum 14 days
Robed said the Corona situation has deteriorated in Barishal, Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Mymensingh and Rangpur divisions over the last one week.
He said the virus infection has declined in Rajshahi while Sylhet is in a somewhat stable condition. “Khulna division witnessed the highest number of Covid deaths over the last one week.”
The DGHs spokesman said there are many empty beds and ICUs in government and private hospitals in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, but the picture of hospitals in border areas is different as most of them are overwhelmed.
Advisory committee suggests complete shutdown in Bangladesh for minimum 14 days
The National Technical Advisory Committee on the Covid-19 pandemic recommended that a complete nationwide ‘shutdown’ be enforced for at least two weeks to deal with the worsening Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh.
Community transmission of the highly transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus might be the reason behind deterioration in the Covid-19 situation in the country, said the committee in a media release.
The committee used the example of India as areference to emphasize that no step other than a complete shutdown might be enough to prevent the spread of the Delta variant of the virus.
Also read: Rapid rise in Bangladesh’s Covid cases, 81 more die
“Everything, including offices, courts and businesses, need to be closed for at least 14 days. Otherwise, no other steps taken by the government will be enough to contain the virus,” the committee said.The committee also recommended that at least 80 % of the population should be brought under the vaccination drive, aiming to bring back normal life.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh recorded 6,058 newinfections and 81 deaths in the last 24 hours until Thursday morning.
Also read: Countries like Bangladesh need support for vaccine production: FM
This is the highest number of single-day positive cases in 73 days since April 12.
However, the positivity rate fell slightly to19.93 % on Thursday and the death rate remained static at 1.59 %.
Restrictions imposed in Chapainawabganj for another week
Chapainawabganj district administration has extended the ongoing restrictions for another week, till June 30.
A media release from the Deputy Commissioner's (DC) office said this Wednesday.
All shops would remain open from 9 am to 5 pm, hotels-restaurants from 6 am to 10 pm.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 85 more deaths, positivity rate crosses 20%
Public transports were instructed to run at half the capacity.
All inter-district transports except those carrying mangoes would remain suspended during this time, said the media release.
Also read: 16 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
All gatherings were prohibited and a maximum of 20 people at a time could attend prayers at the mosque.
Due to the rise of coronavirus infection rate restrictions in the district have been imposed since June 8.
Nationwide lockdown not needed if transmission in Dhaka, nearby districts is controlled: DGHS
The countrywide lockdown will not be necessary if Covid-19 transmission can be controlled in Dhaka and its adjacent districts, says the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
DGHS spokesperson Dr Robed Amin came up with the remark at its daily virtual briefing on Covid-19 on Wednesday.
“We’re observing the infection rates both in Dhaka and the surrounding districts. If the situation worsens in the capital first, a lockdown will be imposed in Dhaka and then across the country,” he said.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 85 more deaths, positivity rate crosses 20%
In response to a question about vaccines, Dr Amin said Bangladesh has a shortage of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine doses.
“Such deficit is there across the world. Although many stakeholders have assured us of providing vaccines from their stocks, nothing is final until we receive those,” he said.
Dr Amin said the vaccine that Oxford has is the vector vaccine and many other organizations have such vaccines.
Also read: 16 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
“For example, there is a vaccine that comes from the Russian research institute Gamalia Research Institute, another from the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Cancino, and Johnson & Johnson also has a similar one in the United States. Even if we get such alternative vaccines, it will be possible to solve the problem of the second dose vaccine in the country,” the DGHS spokesperson added.
Global Covid cases top 179 million
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world. The total caseload has now surged past 179 million.
In fact, the global case count and fatalities stand at 179,095,448 and 3,880,875, respectively, as of Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Some 2,687,585,977 doses of vaccine have been administered globally to date, as per the university data.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 33,564,656 cases and 602,455 deaths, Johns Hopkins figures reveal.
Also read: Afghanistan running out of oxygen as COVID surge worsens
Neighbouring India is the second worst-hit country in the world in terms of infections. The country has so far recorded 29,977,861 cases with 389,302 deaths, according to the federal health ministry.
Brazil, which has the world's second-highest Covid-19 death toll, after the United States, has logged over 18 million cases to date.
On Tuesday, the country registered 87,822 new infections in 24 hours, pushing up the total caseload to 18,054,653.
Also read: Over one-third people uninformed about Covid-19 vaccine registration: Study
Meanwhile, 2,131 more deaths from Covid-19 were reported during the period, bringing the national death toll to 504,717, said the ministry.
Situation in Bangladesh
The Covid situation continues to worsen in Bangladesh, creating new hotspots outside Dhaka. On Tuesday, the country recorded 4,846 fresh cases in 24 hours, with a positivity rate of 19.36%.
Besides, the deadly virus claimed the lives of 76 more people during the period, taking the national tally to 13,702.
The fresh cases have pushed up the total caseload to 8,61,150, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh’s daily positivity rate hits 19.27%; 78 more die
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.59%.
Vaccine rollout
Bangladesh on Monday started administering the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at three centers in Dhaka to fight off Covid.
On May 27, the government approved the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine in the country.
Bangladesh on Saturday started administering the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine across the country.
The vaccination started across the country with 11 lakh doses of Sinopharm gifted by China, said the DGHS.
Bangladesh is now administering the first doses of the Sinopharm and Pfizer vaccines and also the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
As of now, 5,225 people have received the first dose of the China’s Sinopharm vaccine, including 1,505 in the past 24 hours.
Of the Astrazeneca vaccine doses, 4,273,325 have received the second shot and 5,820,015 the first one to date.
Lockdown in Natore extended till June 29
As the Covid-19 situation in Natore district is out of control, the local administration has extended the ongoing lockdown in eight municipalities by another week till June 29.
Deputy Commissioner of Natore district Shamim Ahmed announced it after a meeting on Tuesday night.
As per the decision of the meeting, the restriction will be in place from 6 am on June 23 to 6 pm June 29.
Also read: 8-day lockdown in Fatikchhari begins tomorrow
During the lockdown, all modes of public transport will stay off the roads. However, the movement restrictions won't apply to vehicles providing emergency services.
Moreover, all shops, markets and restaurants will remain closed, except for grocery stores and pharmacies. This is to allow people to buy their daily essentials and medicines from their local grocers and chemists.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 76 more deaths, 4,846 fresh cases
Earlier, the local administration imposed restriction in two municipalities—Sadar and Singra municipalities—in two phases from June 9.
Amid a desperate bid to procure vaccines for all, Bangladesh reported 76 fresh coronavirus-related deaths and 4,846 new cases in the past 24 hours on Tuesday.