Bangladesh
Bangladesh sees only 363 new Covid cases as sample testing falls amid Eid
Bangladesh recorded 363 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours until Sunday morning as the number of sample tests declined drastically since the beginning of Eid holidays.
Only 5,430 samples were tested during the period which were two or three times higher before Eid-ul-Fitr. So far, 5,707,716 tests have been carried out.
Besides, the country saw 25 deaths taking the death toll to 12,149, according to a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read:Bangladesh extends lockdown until May 23
Bangladesh reported 25 Coronavirus fatalities on March 24 and the number continued to go up since then. It experienced a surge in cases in April but the daily count fell below 2,000 in early May.
The mortality rate rose to 1.56 percent from Saturday’s 1.55 percent while the infection rate stood at 6.69 percent, the DGHS said.
Bangladesh has so far confirmed 780,159 Coronavirus cases. The country reported its first cases on March 8 last year and the first death on March 18, 2020.
Meanwhile, 601 people have recovered from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, putting the recovery rate at 92.55%.
Lockdown extended till May 23
The government extended the ongoing lockdown for another week until May 23 with two new directives alongside the existing ones to contain the spread of Covid-19.
A circular was issued by the Cabinet Division in this regard on Sunday.
It said all offices and agencies relating to revenue collection will be considered as emergency service providers.
Read:Return to Dhaka after lockdown ends: Mayor Taposh
Besides, restaurants and eateries will remain open with only takeaway/online services.
As coronavirus cases kept growing at an alarming rate since mid-March, the government imposed a nationwide lockdown from April 5 as part of its move to contain its spread. But with no improvement in sight, the government went for stricter lockdown and extended it in phases.
Schools, colleges to remain closed until May 29
The government has again extended the closure of secondary and higher secondary level educational institutions until May 29.
The decision was taken considering the safety of students, teachers and staffers after consultation with the National Advisory Committee on Covid-19, the Education Ministry said in a handout.
During the closure online classes will continue, it said.
The government shut educational institutions on March 17 last year, just over a week after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases.
Read:Closure of schools, colleges extended until May 29
The closure was extended several times, most recently until May 23 this year.
On February 22, the education minister announced that university classes would resume on May 24.
Residential halls were scheduled to be reopened on May 17.
Bangladesh extends lockdown until May 23
The government has again extended the ongoing lockdown for another week until May 23 with two new directives alongside the existing ones to contain the spread of Covid-19.
The Cabinet Division issued a circular in this regard on Sunday.
On May 5, the government extended the countrywide lockdown until May 16.
Read:Covid-19: Ongoing lockdown to be extended until May 23
The circular said all the offices and agencies relating to revenue collection will be considered as emergency service providers.
Besides, restaurants and eateries will remain open with only takeaway/online services.
As coronavirus cases kept growing at an alarming rate since mid-March, the government had imposed a ‘loose’ nationwide lockdown for one week from April 5 as part of its move to contain its spread.
Later, a ‘stricter’ lockdown was announced from April 14 to 21. On April 28, the government again extended the lockdown until May 5 and issued six fresh directives as the country is struggling to contain the Covid-19 transmission.
On April 23, the Cabinet Division issued a notice allowing shops and shopping malls to operate from April 25 (10am-5pm) on a condition that they would maintain proper safety protocols.
Read:Return to Dhaka after lockdown ends: Mayor Taposh
Covid situation in Bangladesh
Covid-19 claimed 22 more lives in Bangladesh in 24 hours until Saturday morning, which was the lowest daily deaths in the country in nearly two months.
Bangladesh saw 26 Covid deaths on Friday and 31 on Thursday.
With the deaths logged on Friday, the official Covid-related death count in the country reached 12,124.
However, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.55%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read:Covid-19: 22 more lives lost, lowest daily deaths in 7 weeks
Bangladesh witnessed a sharp drop in the number of new cases as the tests have declined dramatically.
Only 261 infections were logged in the 24-hour period after examining 3,758 samples.
The country also confirmed 779,796 Covid-19 cases in total, said a DGHS handout.
"Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale" to be rescreened on May 17 by TV channels
Acclaimed both locally and globally, the docudrama titled "Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale", will be rescreened on BTV and BTV World at 3:30 pm on her Homecoming Day on May 17.
Some private television channels will also screen the visual.
On this day in 1981, Sheikh Hasina, now the Prime Minister, at the end of six years of waiting following her father - Bangabandhu's assassination, landed on the country whose flag and freedom owe to the leadership of her father.
Read: Hasina greets Freedom Fighters on Eid
A phone call from the other end of the world transmitted the most nightmarish news to Sheikh Hasina, now the Prime Minister and Sheikh Rehana that their father, also the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with his entire family was assassinated in Bangladesh.
That changed the course of their lives and also the course of the history of her land.
The ordeals, the ups and downs, and the turnaround Sheikh Hasina, came across since that moment on August 15, 1975, was narrated in her voice in the docudrama titled "Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale"directed by Piplu Khan.
Earlier, the film, produced by —Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Nasrul Hamid Bipu— two trustees of the Centre for Research and Information (CRI), was screened at Dhaka Lit Fest, Bangladesh Film Festival in Kolkata, and International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
Read: Don’t let Covid to spike with unguarded Eid celebrations: PM Hasina
Assam Chief Minister thanks FM Momen
Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma has thanked Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr AK Abdul Momen for his very warm good wishes, noting that the next 25 years are crucial for both the countries.
"We all share the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said recently in Bangladesh that the journey of both countries in the next 25 years in the 21st Century is crucial," he tweeted.
Earlier, Dr Momen congratulated the Chief Minister on assuming office.
Read: It's very regrettable, says FM on China's Quad remarks
The Foreign Minister noted that Bangladesh´s centrality in enhancing connectivity for India´s North East and increasing relevance in India´s "Act East Policy".
Dr Momen hoped Assam will progress towards greater peace and prosperity under his leadership.
Sarma, BJP's key strategist in the northeast, defeated his nearest rival, Congress' Romen Chandra Borthakur, by 1,01,911 votes in recent elections.
India widens gap between two doses of Covishield to 12-16 weeks
India on Thursday extended the gap between the first and second doses of the Serum Institute-produced Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Covishield to 12-16 weeks from the existing six-eight weeks, amid a huge surge in corona cases and an acute shortage of jabs.
Covishield is also being used in Bangladesh's mega inoculation drives. Though Bangladesh has inked a deal with the Serum Institute to acquire 30 million doses of Covishield, a recent surge in Covid cases in India has made the delivery of the remaining doses uncertain.
"Based on available real-life evidence, particularly from the United Kingdom, the Covid-19 Working Group has agreed to increase the dosing interval between two doses of Covishield to 12-16 weeks," the Indian government said in a statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the world's largest Covid vaccination drive in India on January 16. Covishield and local pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech's Covaxin are currently being given to the citizens of India.
Also read: India to begin Covaxin vaccine trials for children
The Indian government has, however, not announced any changes in dosage intervals for Covaxin, which remains at four to six weeks. "No change in intervals for Covaxin was recommended," the statement said.
Serum's CEO Adar Poonawalla has welcomed the government's announcement. "This is beneficial both from efficacy and immunogenicity standpoints... good scientific decision to increase the gap," he told a local news channel.
Also read: India returnee tests Covid-19 positive in N’ganj, house put under lockdown
Poonawalla also cited a study in international medical journal The Lancet, linking widening of Covishield doses to increased efficacy.
India's main opposition Congress party has, however, expressed apprehensions over the government's latest move, given the fact that there has been a change in Covishield dosage intervals for the second time in three months.
"First, it was four weeks for the second dose, then six-eight weeks and now we are told 12-16 weeks. Is this because there are not enough stocks of vaccines or because professional scientific advice says so?" senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted:
"Can we expect some transparency from the Modi government?" he added.
India is not only reeling under the twin burdens of a huge surge in Covid-19 cases and an acute shortage of jabs, but also facing a deadly crunch of medical oxygen. In the past one month, at least 120 patients have died at different hospitals in India due to oxygen shortage.
With Prime Minister Modi's government failing miserably to stem the oxygen crisis, the Supreme Court last week set up a 12-member National Task Force to assess the availability of the life-saving gas across the country and help resolve the crisis at the earliest.
Also read: Stranded Bangladeshis in India: 3 more land ports to be reopened
"The rationale for constituting a Task Force at a national level is to facilitate public health response to the pandemic based on scientific and specialised domain knowledge. We expect leading experts in the country shall associate with the Task Force," judges had said.
Dhaka, Beijing treat each other with mutual respect: Spokesperson
China has said Bangladesh and China are friendly close neighbours and they always treat each other with mutual respect and firmly support one another on issues bearing on respective core interests and major concerns.
Hua Chunying, Spokesperson at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a regular briefing in Beijing said in South Asia it is definitely not China that is interfering in other countries' domestic affairs.
"I can tell you clearly that China and Bangladesh are very friendly close neighbours. We’ve grown our ties on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence," she said.
Also read: China gives Bangladesh 500K vaccine doses
The Spokesperson said this when Chinese Foreign Ministry's comments were sought on Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming's remarks in Dhaka.
Hua said they all know what kind of mechanism the Quad (US, Japan, India and Australia) is.
She said China opposes "certain countries' efforts to form an exclusive clique, portray China as a challenge, and sow discord” between regional countries and China.
Responding to a question on whether China is aggressively trying to push its foreign policy, Hua Chunying said she is not sure if the questioner's information on the statement from the Bangladesh foreign minister was an accurate quote or if further clarification is needed.
"But one thing is clear. China always treats other countries as equals, especially small and medium ones," she said.
The Spokesperson reiterated that China and Bangladesh have very friendly relations. "We develop ties based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence, always respect and trust each other and offer each other firm support on matters concerning core interests and major concerns."
She said China was, is and will remain committed to its principle not to interfere in other countries' domestic affairs.
"As to the Quad, I think India knows better than us the intention of this mechanism. Isn't it intended as a small clique against China? Remarks expressing opposition to this mechanism are not about interference but about rejecting small cliques and bloc politics," said the Spokesperson.
She said they also reflect the aspiration for maintaining regional peace and stability.
Also read: Bangladesh thanks China; seeks larger amount of vaccine doses
Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming on Wednesday met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and explained his remarks made during a programme hosted by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB).
The meeting was held after a vaccine handing over ceremony at the state guesthouse Padma.
They discussed different bilateral issues, including Covid cooperation between the two countries, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB.
They highlighted the importance of the growing relationship between the two countries.
On Monday, the Ambassador talked about a number of issues, including vaccine cooperation.
The envoy, while responding to a question, also talked about Quad, an initiative of four countries- the United States, Japan, India and Australia, that was followed by a reaction by Dhaka.
Ambassador Li said obviously it will not be a good idea for Bangladesh to participate in this small club of four countries because it will "substantially damage" the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
“So, we don’t like to see any form of participation by Bangladesh to this small group of countries,” said the envoy.
31 more lose lives to Covid, death toll reaches 12,076
Covid-19 claimed 31 more lives in Bangladesh, including 13 in Dhaka division, in the past 24 hours until Thursday morning, showing a fall in fatalities compared to the previous day.
The country saw 40 Covid deaths on Wednesday and 33 on Tuesday. The latest number took the official Covid-related death count to 12,076.
However, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.55%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Bangladesh also confirmed 778,687 Covid-19 cases with 1,290 people coming out positive in 13,371 tests over the same period.
The daily infection rate rose to 9.58% from Wednesday's 7.45%, while the recovery rate stood at 92.41%.
Bangladesh has so far carried out 5,690,693 tests since reporting its first Covid-19 cases on March 8 last year and the first fatality from the virus on the 18th of the month.
Also read: India returnee tests Covid-19 positive in N’ganj, house put under lockdown
The country experienced a surge in Covid-19 cases in April and the daily cases fell below 2,000 in early May. Also, it has been seeing below 60 daily deaths for a week after recording over 100 fatalities on several occasions in April.
Dhaka hit hardest
Dhaka has remained the worst-hit division, recording 6,985 fatalities or 57.84% of the total deaths until now. Of the total daily deaths, 13 deaths were reported from Dhaka alone and nine from Chattogram.
Lockdown falls flat ahead of Eid
The nationwide lockdown, imposed on April 4 to break the chain of Covid-19 infections and fatalities, has been extended till May 16 to limit public movement or contain the surge in daily infections.
Officials of all government, semi-government autonomous and private organisations, banks and financial institutions have been asked not to leave their workstations during the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
However, the lockdown measures fell flat ahead of the upcoming Eid celebrations.
The DGHS has expressed concerns that mass travel could lead to a resurgence of infections as the restrictions could not deter people from travelling to their village homes ignoring health risks.
Also read: Covid-19 claims 40 more lives, infects 1,144 others
At least five people died and 50 others injured Wednesday in a stampede as thousands of people returned to their native villages from Dhaka and other cities for Eid-ul-Fitr, defying Covid-19 restrictions.
Vaccination drive
In late January, countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka started receiving vaccine doses through donations from India and other countries and commercial deals.
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses purchased from India's Serum Institute.
The government signed an agreement with Serum for 30 million doses. But India temporarily halted exports of vaccines on March 24 to prioritise domestic requirements, following an explosion in Covid cases and fatalities in the country. The move has left the region with a serious shortage of vaccines.
The administering of the first dose in Bangladesh has remained suspended since April 26. Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India.
5 lakh Chinese vaccine doses arrive
Bangladesh on Wednesday received 5 lakh doses of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine as a gift.
The development came after the World Health Organization (WHO) listed the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use, giving a nod for it to be rolled out globally.
Bangladesh was initially reluctant to receive the Chinese vaccine until it got the WHO green signal but the second wave of the pandemic forced the country's health authorities to approve the jabs alongside Russia's Sputnik vaccine to continue its vaccination drive.
South Asia: The new global hotspot?
South Asia, home to a quarter of the world's population, is fast becoming the new global hotspot of the Covid-19 pandemic. Extremely low vaccination rates across South Asia have also put millions of lives in the region at risk.
Also read: Indian states asked to stop people from dumping bodies of COVID-19 victims into Ganga
India and Nepal's healthcare systems are reaching breaking point. The virus is spreading and crossing borders at a frightening speed. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are also seeing a surge.
The new Indian variant of coronavirus has been detected in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, prompting authorities to axe travel corridors with India. It has been designated a variant of concern by the WHO that might be more contagious than most versions of the coronavirus.
Korean Embassy honours content contest winners
Winners of the 'Contents Contest on Korea-Bangladesh Relations' were conferred with awards by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea at a ceremony held in Dhaka recently.
The awards ceremony at the Embassy in Dhaka was held marking the anniversary of Korea-Bangladesh diplomatic relations. The awards were to encourage Bangladeshi content creators who have contributed to promoting understanding between the two countries.
Read: South Korea suspends visas for Bangladeshis to curb Covid-19
Among a number of participants in the contest, Tanjina Haque bagged the first prize for presenting a comprehensive survey of the Korea-Bangladesh ties for almost 50 years with many pieces of relevant photos and records.
Other winners of the contest are Istinarah Surrat Nubah, Naimul Hasan, Reyad Hossain, MD Nuralam Mollah, Abdullah Al Mamun and Norul Isam. Some of the works presented by them have been uploaded on the Embassy's website, it's Facebook page and YouTube channel.
The history of the ties between the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh dates back to the early 1970s, particularly the 12th of May, 1972, when Korea officially recognised the independent government of Bangladesh, said the Embassy.
Thereafter, it said, the two countries established official diplomatic relations on December 18, 1973, and Korea opened its Embassy in Dhaka on March 1, 1975.
Read:S Korea provides US$ 1 mn to IOM to support Rohingyas affected in recent fire
This year marks the 48th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun shared an interesting story about the role of the former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the initial period of the two countries’ relations at the 4th Bangabandhu Lecture Series held at the Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy on March 15, 2021.
Hasina a household name in Palestine: Envoy
Palestinian Ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan has highly appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her concern about the Palestinian people and expressing her solidarity with the just cause of Palestinians.
“Sheikh Hasina is a household name in Palestine. The people of Palestine invariably love and respect Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her unflinching support for them," said the Ambassador.
Read:PM denounces attacks at Al Aqsa mosque compound
He appreciated continued support of Bangladesh and the empathy of Bangladeshi people for the oppressed occupied people of Palestine.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen handed over a letter concerning the recent airstrikes unleashed by the Israeli military to the Palestinian Ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday at his office.
The Foreign Secretary conveyed the concern of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina regarding the current development in Gaza.
Bangladesh appreciated the OIC Secretariat for convening an emergency meeting of the Council of Permanent Representative to the OIC and passing a resolution about the atrocities inflicted upon the civilians by the occupying forces.
Read:Covid-19 crisis: PM Hasina reiterates firm solidarity with India
The Foreign Secretary said OIC might convene an emergency meeting of OICFM or Al Quds Committee for a sustainable solution to the evolving situation.
He stressed that the latest development in Gaza may be taken to the UNGA or UNSC through the OIC Secretariat for a sustainable solution of the Palestinian crisis.
Bangladesh's Predicted XI: If ODI and Test Teams Played on the Same Day
Cricket resumed at the end of last year after a notable number of international cricket series were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak in March 2020. However, we missed some FTP fixtures due to the pandemic. Cricketers are now not getting enough rest while playing the international series. In light of this, the BCCI has confirmed that India will play two international series at the same time in July and August. What would the XIs be if Bangladesh's ODI and Test Teams Played on the Same Day? We form two separate Bangladesh national teams for Test and ODI format in this article.
ICC's initiatives to resume cricket
Bringing cricket back to the field was the biggest challenge for the international cricket council. Initially, ICC’s medical board handed over a guideline manual to the cricket boards across the world, and the cricket committee had taken some important decisions to create a bio-secure environment for the players.
Read: Ban vs SL 2021: How Bangladesh can clinch the ODI series against Sri Lanka
Following their advice, Cricket boards across the world are now organized international series by encapsulating the players in a bio-secure bubble. However, spectators are not permitted to come into the stadium for the time being in order to maintain social distance.
Is playing two international series simultaneously realistic?
It was predicted that ICC will face difficulty organizing the suspended matches when the situation gets normal. That prediction came true as we saw ICC had to cancel a notable number of international series due to the complexity of the schedule. Many think that two international series can be played simultaneously to solve this problem. But is it possible to make two squads for teams other than Australia, England, New Zealand, and India?
The Indian Cricket Board has already confirmed that two separate teams will be announced for the July and August tours to England and Sri Lanka. Both teams will be representing India simultaneously. In July, the Indian white-ball team will face Sri Lanka for ODI and T20I series, while Virat Kohli will lead the Indian red-ball team in a five-match Test series against England in July-August. India has shown that two separate international teams can be formed.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka ODI series 2021: Expected personal milestones to Reach
Is BCB ready to accept two separate teams for Test and ODI?
If a circumstance like this appears in the near future, is BCB ready to develop entirely independent Test and ODI teams? The Cricket Board has a lot of very good players, but the reality is, BCB is not ready to accept the formation of two separate national cricket teams for Bangladesh at this moment.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board officials previously told the media that they are exploring the option of forming separate teams for each format, but little has been done other than the selection of different captains for each format. The pandemic coronavirus has taught us that we must be ready for any situation that arises.
Senior players are picked for Test cricket because the longer version format requires a test of maturity and patience. Mominul Haque is our choice to lead the Bangladesh Test side. On the other hand, Bangladesh thrives in limited-over cricket. However, we put an emphasis on selecting young cricketers for the One-Day International format. We believe they can provide the team with a lot of energy and variety. We pick veteran Mahmudullah Riyad to lead the Bangladesh ODI team.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series 2021: ODI Ranking Prediction
Bangladesh Test XI:
Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam
Bangladesh ODI XI:
Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahadi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain
Bottom Line
Several international and domestic cricket series were deferred last year in the wake of the pandemic coronavirus. By the end of 2020, all kinds of cricket-related activities resumed cricket and we've had a good amount of international series in the last six months. BCB has now realized that they should be prepared for any circumstance. Then all kinds of problems will be easy to solve. If Bangladesh's ODI and Test Teams Played on the Same Day, the cricket board would have no trouble forming separate squads if they developed players for each format.
Read: Who will host the T20 World Cup and the rest of IPL 2021?