coronavirus BD
1200-bed Covid dedicated hospital to be set up in BSMMU
The government will establish a 1200-bed coronavirus dedicated hospital in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University to fight the soaring virus, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday.
With over 400 ICU beds and more than 400 ICU equivalent HDO’s, this will be the most modern Covid-19 hospital in the country, said Zahid after visiting BSMMU convention centre.
He said this convention centre was chosen for the proposed Covid facility after inspecting buildings across the city following the prime minister’s direction to increase the number of beds in hospitals across the country.
Also read: Country's largest Covid-19 dedicated hospital opened in Dhaka
The government is trying to expedite the opening of the hospital by incorporating the oxygen supply facility as soon as possible, said the minister.
As 80% of the hospital beds across the country are occupied with patients there is no other option left but to increase the number of beds, he said.
Also read: Govt stops corona treatment at 3 dedicated hospitals
In the last 10 days at least 90,000 more people were infected with Covid-19 so more manpower is needed in the health service system too, he added.
BSMMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Sharfuddin Ahmed said, the Covid dedicated hospital will be set up at the fifth floor of the convention hall and it will be named after Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib.
Momen addresses IUT Freshers' reception
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged the students to follow the health directives while continuing their pursuit of knowledge so that when the right time comes they can come forward as an asset to humanity.
“The world is passing through an unprecedented time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But at the same time, we are all moving forward to achieve our goals through adaptation and innovation in this changed reality,” he said.
The Foreign Minister was addressing the freshers’ reception ceremony of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) on Saturday.
Also read: Relations with China as usual: FM Momen
Askar Mussinov, Assistant Secretary General for Science and Technology, OIC, Chief patron Prof. Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University of Technology, and Dr. Omar Jah, Pro- Vice Chancellor of IUT, also spoke at the event held virtually.
Covid onslaught in Bangladesh continues; 185 more die
Passing through a catastrophic phase of Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh reported 185 more coronavirus-related deaths and 8,772 new cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
The new numbers pushed the country’s death tally to 16,189 while the caseload to 10,09,315, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Bangladesh already crossed the 1-million mark of Covid cases on Thursday.
The new infections were detected after testing 27,884 samples during the period. This takes the daily case positivity rate to 31.46% from Friday’s 31.62, said the DGHS.
However, the case fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.60 during the period.
So far, 868,139 people have recovered from the disease, putting the recovery rate at 86.01% a declining indicator unlike others.
Bangladesh has been seeing above 10,000 Covid cases on average for the last seven days as the second wave of the Coronavirus continues to play havoc.
Dhaka division, the worst hit region, reported 70 of the deaths today while Khulna the newly-emerged hotspot saw 51 deaths. Besides 20 people died in Chattogram, 13 in Rajshahi, 11 in Rangpur, 10 in Barishal, seven in Sylhet and three in Mymensingh divisions during the period.
Also read: 14 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital
Vaccination drive
The government has so far approved the emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sinopharm (China), Sputnik-V (Russia), Pfizer-BioNTech (USA/Germany), Crona Vac (China) and Janssen single-dose vaccines.
Amid the deteriorating coronavirus situation, the government resumed the countrywide mass registration for receiving Covid-19 jabs on July 8, which remained suspended for around three months as vaccine procurement became unsure.
Bangladesh is currently administering the doses of Sinopharm vaccine and Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and also the second dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
As of now, 162,513 people received the first dose of China’s Sinopharm vaccine, and 2,237 have received the second dose of it.
Meanwhile, 15,698 people have received the first jab of Pfizer vaccine, including 5,925 in the past 24 hours.
Of the Astrazeneca vaccine doses, 4,294,911 received the second shot and 5,820,023 the first one so far.
Also read: Covid claims 18 more lives in Kushtia
Vaccine procurement update
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said Bangladesh is hopeful of receiving more vaccine doses this month from Japan, the European Union (EU) and the USA under COVAX facility apart from a steady flow of that from China.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh is expected to get around 2.5 million doses of vaccine from Japan while 1 million from the EU under the COVAX facility. “These’re likely to be AstraZeneca vaccine doses.”
The Foreign Minister said he talked to the Japanese Foreign Minister recently and Bangladesh mentioned about Japan’s vaccine supply to others.
Dr Momen said Japan will provide vaccine doses to Bangladesh, too but the exact quantity was not mentioned. But a big quantity of vaccine doses is expected to arrive this week or next week under the COVAX facility. “We expect it’ll be around 2.5 million doses.”
Meanwhile, Health Minister Zahid Maleque today said Bangladesh will receive 60 lakh more doses of Pfizer vaccine from COVAX facility by early August.
Minister Maleque said the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the vaccine delivery information on Friday through a letter.
“By the end of July or in the beginning of August, we’ll receive 50 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine from China, too,” Zahid Maleque added.
“We’re hopeful of having 1 to 1.5 crore doses of vaccines in our stock within one and a half months. More vaccines will be coming in August,” he said.
Bangladesh in grip of Covid’s wave; sees record 212 deaths
Bangladesh on Friday saw 212 Covid-19 deaths, the highest number since the pandemic hit the country, amid a strict nationwide lockdown in effect since July 1.
Also, Covid-19 infections in the country are at their peak now, with 9,665 new cases reported each day – the highest daily average.
The country recorded 11,324 infections in 24 hours till Friday morning after testing 36,850 samples.
Bangladesh reported its highest daily Covid-19 fatality of 201 on Wednesday and 11, 651 cases on Thursday.
The country is in the grip of a second wave of the coronavirus that is threatening to overwhelm its health service.
Also read: Dhaka reemerging as Covid hotspot as battle plan ‘fails’: Experts
There have been 1,000,543 infections and 16,004 coronavirus-related deaths in Bangladesh since the pandemic began, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
However, the test positivity rate dropped to 14.49%. The daily positivity rate of 31.62% on Thursday raised concerns among experts as the World Health Organization recommended a 5% or below rate.
Meanwhile, the death rate remains unchanged at 1.60%, and the recovery rate dropped to 86.19%.
Khulna division reported the highest 79 deaths, Dhaka 53, Chattogram 26, Rajshahi 23, Rangpur 12, Mymensingh eight, Sylhet six and Barishal five.
Also read: Global Covid cases top 185 million
Hospitals are now overwhelmed with patients and struggling to cope as the country is experiencing a devastating second wave of Covid infections, driven by the Delta variant.
The Prime Minister's Office on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to increase oxygen supply and corona beds in hospitals across the country to ensure the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
So far, Bangladesh has administered at least 10,114,578 doses of Covid vaccines – enough to have vaccinated around 3.1% of the country's population, assuming every person needs two doses.
Covid-19 response: Citibank NA Bangladesh steps forward to support communities
Food insecurity has become a major concern for low-income communities in Bangladesh amid the pandemic.
Also, there is very little health and safety awareness, while mental and physical healthcare demand is at a high.
To cushion the impact of Covid, Citibank NA Bangladesh has donated Tk91 lakh to Sajida Foundation, a non-government organisation (NGO) specialising in healthcare and financial services.
Also read: Japan, ASEF provides PPE for COVID-19 response in Bangladesh
The NGO will support the low-income, vulnerable families with food, health and hygiene kits, dedicated physical and mental healthcare support through remote consultation services with the contribution.
The Sajida Foundation programme will also provide livelihood recovery support through a blended finance package that includes training and in-kind donations over an extended period. It will be implemented in Dhaka, Chattogram, Chandpur and Keraniganj.
Also read: COVID-19 Response: Japan provides ASEF equipment to Bangladesh
N Rajashekaran, Citi country officer said: "The second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh has drastically hit the low-income communities. Many people have lost their livelihoods and aren't able to make ends meet. This initiative is designed to cover all essential needs of a vulnerable family by ensuring food, healthcare, and livelihood."
Sajida Foundation CEO Zahida Fizza Kabir said: "We are identifying the most vulnerable people using a combination of seven dimensions including economic, health, education, living conditions, disability and more. These households require sustained support and will receive a blend of short term and long-term assistance to recover from the pandemic."
Registration for Covid vaccination to restart Thursday
Amid the deteriorating coronavirus situation, the government is going to resume the countrywide mass registration for receiving Covid-19 jabs from Thursday (July 8), said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Tuesday.
“The registration process will resume for all from Thursday morning,” Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman, Director (MIS) of the DGHS, told UNB.
“Currently, the registration is ongoing only in three categories on a priority basis. As the mass registration process resumes, all the categories will be available for registering through the Surokkha app as before,” he said.
Earlier, on June 30, Dr Shamsul Haque, member secretary of the Vaccine Deployment Committee, also made the same announcement at a virtual press briefing arranged by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
He said the Sinopharm jabs will be administered at 40 centers in Dhaka city and at all district hospitals from 8am to 3pm every day as in the past.
Also read: Bangladesh’s Covid catastrophe worsens; 163 more lives lost
Dr Haque said the vaccine will also be given at Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID) in Chattogram and Saidpur Sadar Hospital during the same period.
He said those who got registered earlier but could not receive the vaccines will be given the Sinopharm jabs now while the medical and university students and those who are on the priority lists can get registered for the vaccine. “Everyone will get an SMS from a vaccination centre after the registration and all must receive the vaccine at that centre accordingly. “In this case, the vaccine card and NID card must be brought for receiving the vaccine.”
Dr Haque said the Covid vaccination centers will remain out of the purview of the lockdown. “Those who have vaccine cards will be able to go to the relevant centre showing it.”
He said the expatriate workers who stay in countries where the Sinopharm vaccine is accepted also can receive the vaccine at the centers both in Dhaka and outside. “But no one will get the vaccine without registration.”
Also read: Chinese firms working with Bangladeshi partners for vaccine co-production
Besides, Dr Haque said, the Pfizer vaccine will also be administered at seven centers--Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Kurmitola General Hospital, and Sheikh Russel National Gastroliver Institute and Hospital—in the capital.
He said the outbound expatriate workers who are not allowed to return to their workplaces without getting Pfizer vaccine can only receive the vaccine at the seven centers as per the list from the Manpower Export Promotion Bureau.
Dr Haque said those who are supposed to receive Sinopharm jabs from these centres will have to go to alternative centres.
Bangladesh’s Covid catastrophe worsens; 163 more lives lost
In a disastrous turn, Bangladesh recorded its highest-ever 11,525 cases in 24 hours until Tuesday morning as the case positivity rate hit 31.46%.
During the period, the country lost 163 more lives to Covid-19, according to a handout provided by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
On Monday, Bangladesh saw a record-high 9,964 cases and 164 deaths as both infections and deaths are mounting at an alarming speed.
The new numbers took the country’s death toll to 15, 392 while the caseload to 966,406.
The fresh coronavirus cases were detected after testing 36,631 samples during the period, the DGHS said.
However, the case fatality remained unchanged at 1.59% during the period.
So far, 844,515 people have recovered from the disease putting the recovery rate at 87.39%, which is declining unlike other indicators.
Also read: At 1,865, Khulna records highest single-day Covid cases
Among today’s deceased, 91 were aged above 60, 29 aged between 51-60, 27 were aged between 41-50, 11 aged between 31-40 and five were aged between 21-30, showed the DGHS handout.
Khulna division logged 46 deaths today, while Dhaka saw 45 and Rajshahi and Chattogram 24 each. Besides, 11 died in Rangpur, six in Barishal, five in Rangpur and two in Mymensingh divisions.
Covid getting deadlier in Bangladesh; record-high 153 die in 24 hours
The second wave of Covid-19 in Bangladesh is getting much deadlier with 153 more people losing lives to the virus in 24 hours till Sunday morning, pushing up the total death toll to 15,065.
With this, the daily-death record was shattered thrice in the country within eight days as 143 deaths were reported on July1 and 119 on June 27.
During the period, 8,661 more Covid cases were detected after testing 29,879 samples, overwhelming the country’s healthcare system quickly.
This raises the country's case positivity rate during the period to 28.99% from Saturday’s 27.39%, according to a handout provided by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the fatality rate remained static at 1.59%
With the fresh cases, Bangladesh’s caseload mounted to 944,917 today, said the DGHS.
So far, 833,897 people have recovered from the virus infections, putting the recovery rate at 88.25%.
Khulna division today recorded 51 deaths while Dhaka saw 46. Besides, 15 people each in Chattogram and Rangpur, 12 in Rajshahi, nine in Mymensingh, three in Barishal and two in Sylhet divisions died of Covid-19 today.
The country saw 2,404 Covid deaths in April, 1,169 in May and 1,884 in June, marking those the most fatal months of this year.
Also, July was the most fatal month of 2020, reporting 1,264 deaths followed by 1,197 deaths in June that year.
Also read: Khulna logs record 46 single-day Covid deaths
Herd immunity unlikely anytime soon
Although its study suggests around 71 percent of Dhaka city dwellers have already gained antibodies for coronavirus, an icddr,b scientist says herd immunity threshold is still out of reach in Bangladesh’s capital, let alone the whole country to reach it.
Dr Rubhana Raqib, a senior scientist at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), also says it may not be possible to attain the long-term herd immunity for Covid-19 as long as the virus continues to mutate as she thinks highly contagious new variants can break people’s immune protection gained either from the previous infections or vaccination.
In a recent interview with UNB, she also said it is generally assumed that Covid-19 may remain active like influenza and other flues for a long time and it is quite possible that people will need to receive the vaccine at a regular interval until the virus loses its mutation or virulence capability.
icddr,b conducted a study titled “Driving Factors of Covid-19 in Slums and Non-Slum Areas of Dhaka and Chittagong,” between October 2020 and February 2021 to evaluate the extent of the spread of the virus in the slum and non-slum communities of the two cities.
Lockdown: Police arrest 621 for violations on Dhaka streets
Police arrested 621 people for being on the streets in capital Dhaka in violation of a strictly-enforced lockdown on its third day Saturday.
The arrestees were picked up while roaming in different parts of the city, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Iftekhairul Islam.
He also said that Tk 19,22,350 was collected in penalties from vehicles across the capital under the Road Transport Act.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh records 100+ daily deaths for one week
However, the officer did not provide any information on the total number of vehicles sued.
Besides, mobile courts slapped fines on 346 people collecting an amount of Tk 106450.
Despite a vigilant position by the law enforcers, the number of both people and vehicles taking to the streets increased a bit on the third day of lockdown.
Also read: Lockdown: Third day sees more people, vehicles on roads, 184 detained
Traffic Inspector Akter Hossain (Rajlaxmi Uttara), said “The number of vehicles is higher than the last two days but we are also active and allowing only those who have valid reasons to come out.”
The government imposed a seven-day lockdown from July 1 to contain a surge of Covid-19 infections across the country. It will continue until July 7 midnight.
Opposition MPs call Health Minister “shameless” over health sector “failures”
Terming Health Minister Zahid Maleque a "shameless man" for his “failure, widespread corruption in the health sector and mismanagement in coronavirus treatment, opposition MPs of Jatiya Party and BNP on Saturday demanded his immediate resignation.
They sharply criticized the health minister in Parliament for his failure to ensure oxygen in different hospitals for Covid-19 patients as many died in Satkhira and Bogura districts.
The health minister was not there in the House but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was present at the time.
BNP MP Gulam Mohammad Siraj from Bogura-6 first launched the blistering attack on the health minister while speaking on a point of order.
He alleged that around 24 Covid-19 patients died in the last two days in Bogura for lack of oxygen.
The BP MP said Mohammad Ali Hospital in Bogra is a dedicated hospital to Covid-19 treatment but there are only eight ICU beds there and only two high-flow nasal cannula oxygen facilities. “As a result, the rest of the ICU beds are useless.”
Also read: Corruption in health sector widespread: GM Quader
He also said 450 beds in 3 hospitals in Bogra are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients leaving no scope for the hospitalization of new patients.
Gulam Mohammad demanded immediate supply of 20 high-flow oxygen to every hospital.
Jatiya Party Chairman and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in parliament GM Quader, in his winding-up speech, pointed out widespread mismanagement in the health sector, including the health ministry.
He said the health ministry is still there where it was a year ago. “There has been no improvement.”