Meta has supported the Bangladesh government and national health agencies in their COVID-19 response and helped with vaccination roll-out in the country, said a media release on Thursday. Over the past two years, Meta has been partnering closely with the ICT Division and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh to launch nationwide social media campaigns and make it easier for people to access authoritative health information, said a media release on Thursday. Read: Countries face ‘critical moment’ in COVID response: WHO chief The COVID-19 Information Center, also available in Bangla, connected people to www.corona.gov.bd for the latest government directives and helped them learn about best practices on hygiene and safety measures.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, Meta has connected 2 billion people to resources from health authorities and carried out awareness campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, “During the pandemic, Meta provided a platform for Bangladeshis to remain connected to their loved ones and it also helped them stay informed. He thanked Meta for the collaboration to amplify reliable health information and help ensure that people have the resources they need to get vaccinated. “As the world becomes increasingly digital, we hope to continue to work together to raise awareness using new technologies to keep people safe," he added. More than ever before, people are relying on the internet for information and community building. National health agencies and government campaigns around the world have been using personalized ad campaigns across Meta technologies to raise awareness about COVID-19 and best practices. In Bangladesh, Facebook ads highlighted the national helpline 333, making it easier for people to get support. In 2021, COVID-19 Vaccine Finder was launched on Facebook to help citizens find the nearest vaccination centers as vaccines become available and register through the national vaccine registration portal www.surokkha.gov.bd. Read: S Korea giving $50m soft loan to support Bangladesh's Covid responses To ensure that people are connected to reliable information, Meta has removed over 24 million pieces of COVID-19 misinformation since the beginning of the pandemic. Last year, it launched a public education campaign (www.fightcovidmisinfo.com) to help Bangladeshis learn how to identify and combat false information online.  Meta has shared a video on their Facebook page that gives an overview of the company’s COVID-related efforts in Bangladesh. It shows how their technologies have helped strengthen the government’s vaccination efforts and nationwide awareness campaign. “At Meta, we are committed to use our platform to get reliable information out and encourage people to help each other stay safe. We are happy to continue our partnership with governments around the world to bring communities together, protect people and support essential public health programs,” said Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, who leads public policy for Bangladesh at Meta. Meta’s technologies provide a platform that enables people to build community and help each other. Using Facebook’s Blood Donation feature, 11 million people have received notifications from the nearest blood banks with opportunities to donate. People suffering from mental health issues were connected to local helplines on Facebook and Instagram. 

Two children drowned in a pond in Naogaon district town on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Russel Hossain, 16, son of Shyamol Hossain and his step sister Shimu Khatun, 6, daughter of Shaon Uddin. Read:Chattogram: Army cadet goes missing after 'drowning' Rebeka Begum, mother of the two children, used to live with her second husband Shaon Uddin in Bangabaria Moholla of the district town. Quoting Jotsna Begum, grandmother of the two children, police said Russel and Shimu went to a pond of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority , 500 yards off their house, during rain. When the two children did not return home after a long period, the family members went to the pond and found shoes and towel near the bank of the pond. Read:Two teenagers drown in Dinajpur On information, a firefighting unit rushed in and recovered the bodies from the pond, said Nazrul Islam Jewel, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station. The bodies were then handed over to family on Saturday evening after completing all necessary formalities. Drowning in Bangladesh Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under five in Bangladesh. Accoridng to Bangladesh Health and Injury Survery(BHIS), in Bangladesh nearly 17,000 children drown annually, an average of around 46 each day. Read:Two toddlers drown in Laxmipur A cross-governmental taskforce was established on drowning prevention – led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with representation from 12 departments. The task force is working to prepare a ‘National Drowning Reduction Strategy’. According to the WHO’s latest estimates, drowning is the cause of 235,000 deaths every year. Many countries including Bangladesh  report drowning as a leading cause of childhood mortality, particularly in children under-5.  

A Dhaka court on Thursday fixed Sunday for passing an order on the bail petition of Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Islam in a case filed under the Official Secrets Act. Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Baki Billah fixed the date after hearing on the bail petition. Rozina’s counsel Prashanto Kumar Karmakar submitted the petition on May 18 seeking her bail. Read:It's very regrettable; nothing to hide: FM about Rozina issue Public prosecutor Mohammad Abdullah represented the state. The 42-year-old journalist, known for her investigative journalism, was detained at the Secretariat for over five hours before being handed over to police on May 17. She allegedly clicked photos of documents related to government negotiations with pharma firms to buy Covid-19 vaccines, according to case documents. An FIR was filed against Rozina under the Official Secrets Act and sections 379 and 411 of The Penal Code on a complaint filed by the Health Services Division with Shahbagh Police Station. Later, on May 18, a Dhaka court sent Rozina to jail after rejecting the police's demand for her five-day remand. Rozina was taken to Kashimpur Central Women's Jail on that day only. Read:Drop all "oppressive charges" against Rozina: HRW

The ongoing edition of Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games will continue although the government is set to enforce a 7-day lockdown from Monday to stem the spread of Covid-19. This sports event kicked off on April 1 and will continue until April 10 , says the organizer of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) Also read: BOA ready to arrange Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games in April While talking to the media in this regard, BOA Secretary General Syed Shahed Reza said they are going to continue the event until any further instructions from the government. “For now, the games will continue,” he said. “We have to see what instructions come from the government. We will make a final decision once we get the government’s instruction.” The chairman of the steering committee of the event, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed Mamun, said that the event will continue. Also read: Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games: Blue Team beat Red Team “The event will continue before the government issues a gazette. Once the notice gazette is issued, we will discuss the matter with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. And the finals of many events are scheduled to take place on April 4, so the event must go on,” he told the media.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller on Wednesday praised the epidemiologists and public health experts who continue to serve as Bangladesh’s frontline of defense to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic has taught us many things. One of those things is policy and actions are only as effective as the science and data they are built upon,” he said. Miller said they can promote mask wearing and social distancing because they know the science and data tells them it works. “We can promote vaccination because the data from the vaccine trials and post vaccination surveillance tells us the vaccines are safe and effective. None of this is possible without epidemiologists and public health experts,” he said. The US Ambassador inaugurated the first “Bangladesh Congress on Epidemiology and Public Health” and the two-day conference (Wednesday-Thursday) includes in-person and online sessions sharing experiences and scientific lessons from Bangladesh about COVID-19; establishing a global network of public health experts to apply COVID-19 lessons to prepare for future pandemics and outbreaks; and building support for expanding the number of epidemiologists and public health experts in Bangladesh. Also read: Will work together with Bangladesh, global partners against Covid-19 pandemic: Miller The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is partnering with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), and the Epidemiology Association of Bangladesh to sponsor this first-ever national conference focused on the vital roles field epidemiology and public health play in saving lives and keeping people healthy from serious diseases in Bangladesh and across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved a proposal of the Health Service Division to import 30 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from the Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd.

The confirmed cases from coronavirus in India surged to 4,370,128 on Wednesday, putting the country on the second place in the list of high cases.

Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora, the director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), been made the additional director general (planning and development) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a notification with a suggestion to keep movement from four districts to other areas restricted  during Eid-ul-Azha holidays.   “Movement from Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Chattogram to other parts of the country is suggested to be kept halted during Eid holidays according to the suggestions of the National Technical Advisory Committee regarding Covid-19,” said the notification.   Although the notification was issued on Wednesday, it came to light on Thursday night.   The concerned authorities were urged to take necessary steps so that people cannot move from these four districts to other parts of the country during Eid holidays, the notification said.

Anti Corruption Commission (ACC)  Chairman Iqbal Mahmood on Friday said that the commission has adopted zero tolerance against graft in the health sector.