United News of Bangladesh

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday expressed deep concern over the fresh spread of dengue and a deadly variant of Covid-19, urging the government to take immediate and visible steps, including equipping district-level hospitals with necessary medicines and equipment, to tackle the emerging health risks. “Ensuring the safety and saving the lives of people is the main responsibility of the government. I have seen that they have taken some steps, but they should take more extensive and visible measures as both dengue and a new variant of Covid-19 are spreading across the country,” he said. Rizvi made the remarks while talking to reporters at the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office. He said 288 people have been infected with dengue, with 261 of them in the Barishal division alone. Of the 261 dengue patients in Barishal division, the BNP leader said 202 were reported in just Barguna district. As dengue spreads like an epidemic in a particular district, Rizvi said the government should form a taskforce on an emergency basis and declare the district an emergency service area. “I want to ask the government why they are not taking such steps.” He said a new variant of Covid-19—five times deadlier than previous variants like Delta and Omicron—has been spreading in Bangladesh and neighbouring countries. “So, the people want to see the government take visible steps against this health hazard.” The BNP leader said people across the country also want to know whether hospitals at the grassroots level are equipped with adequate medicines and equipment to deal with dengue and a potential Covid-19 outbreak. He urged the government and the Ministry of Health to play a proactive role in taking the necessary steps to tackle the spread of dengue and coronavirus. About the meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman scheduled for Friday in London, Rizvi said the people are very interested in the discussions and is keeping a close watch on what they talk about regarding reforms, the election, its timing and any possible understanding they may reach on these crucial issues. “These matters are now widely discussed across Bangladesh, and people expect they will be resolved through this meeting. They also anticipate that a positive message will emerge from this high-level meeting, and it is absolutely essential,” he said.   Rizvi said the meeting, set to begin at 9am (London time) on Friday between the Chief Adviser and Tarique, will help ensure peace and stability in the country. “We wish the meeting every success. It is very important for taking the country forward with a permanent shape of democratic system… this meeting is highly significant and will play an important role in advancing the national election, reforms, and the overall democratic process,” he said. The BNP leader also hoped that the meeting will help find a positive solution to the key issues of contention. Referring to the matter of former Awami League minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury’s assets being seized in the UK, he alleged that a certain quarter is spreading propaganda about the Chief Adviser’s visit to Britain in an attempt to divert public attention from their misdeeds. The BNP leader said only one family and a clique within the Awami League have looted the nation’s wealth over the past 16 years and laundered it abroad. Prof Yunus-Tarique meeting to usher in a fresh breeze for democracy: Rizvi He demanded appropriate action against those living in luxury overseas after looting public money through mega projects like the Padma Bridge, flyovers, and quick rental power plants. “Should a party that steals public money be allowed to do politics? They siphoned off huge sums over the past 16 years. They must be tried for looting and for the deaths of the youth and children.” Rizvi also said India has been continuing the push-in of its citizens into Bangladesh through various border points. “India pushed in its citizens identifying them as foreigners along the borders even yesterday (Wednesday).” Rizvi questions govt preparedness over new COVID variant spread The BNP leader further alleged that the Chief Minister of India’s Assam has been making provocative remarks against Bangladesh daily. “Whether this is part of a larger master plan is now a question among the people of Bangladesh and the international community. Why is India suddenly pushing people--none of whom are Bangladeshi citizens-- into our countrty?” He called upon India to show restraint, stating that these actions challenge Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty. “The people of Bangladesh will not accept this.”  

Omicron, the new Covid variant having the high mutation capability, may turn deadly if it enters Bangladesh although it now seems to be less lethal in many countries, warn experts. As the highly transmissible new variant is spreading fast in different countries, including India, they said emergency preparedness should be in place as Omicron may make its way into Bangladesh any time. Prof Nazrul Islam, ex VC of BSMMU, Dr AM, Zakir Hossain, former director of IEDCR, Prof Dr Bijon Kumar Sil, head of Gono Bishwabidyalay’s Microbiology department and Prof Dr MH Chowdhury (Lenin), head of Health and Hope Hospital’s Medicine department, made the observations while talking to UNB. The analysts said the government should take proper steps to strictly implement its 15-point guideline and intensify monitoring and screening of the incoming passengers through air and land ports and ensure their quarantine. They also said the enforcement of the law is also now necessary to force people to maintain health protocols and wear masks since most people are now reluctant about following the health safety rules due to the current very low Covid infection rate. It’s just matter of time Dr Lenin said Omicron has already spread to 52 countries in the world, including India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the USA and the UK. “As Bangladesh has strong communications and connectivity with these countries, we fear this virus may enter Bangladesh at any time.” At the same time, he said, a good number of people returned to Bangladesh from African countries and the Omicron-affected nations over the last three weeks. Also read: How can I protect myself from the new omicron variant?

South African scientists identified a new version of the coronavirus that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country's most populous province. It's unclear where the new variant first emerged, but scientists in South Africa alerted the World Health Organization in recent days, and it has now been seen in travelers arriving in several countries, from Australia to Israel to the Netherlands. On Friday, the WHO designated it as a "variant of concern," naming it "omicron" after a letter in the Greek alphabet. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT OMICRON? Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the variant was linked to an "exponential rise" of cases in the last few days. From just over 200 new confirmed cases per day in recent weeks, South Africa saw the number of new daily cases rocket to more than 3,200 Saturday, most in Gauteng. Struggling to explain the sudden rise in cases, scientists studied virus samples and discovered the new variant. Now, as many as 90% of the new cases in Gauteng are caused by it, according to  Tulio de Oliveira, director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform. WHY ARE SCIENTISTS WORRIED ABOUT THIS NEW VARIANT? After convening a group of experts to assess the data, the WHO said that "preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant," as compared to other variants. That means people who contracted COVID-19 and recovered could be subject to catching it again. The variant appears to have a high number of mutations — about 30 — in the coronavirus' spike protein, which could affect how easily it spreads to people. Sharon Peacock, who has led genetic sequencing of COVID-19 in Britain at the University of Cambridge, said the data so far suggest the new variant has mutations "consistent with enhanced transmissibility," but said that "the significance of many of the mutations is still not known." Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, described omicron as "the most heavily mutated version of the virus we have seen," including potentially worrying changes never before seen all in the same virus. READ: What is this new COVID variant in South Africa? WHAT'S KNOWN AND NOT KNOWN ABOUT THE VARIANT? Scientists know that omicron is genetically distinct from previous variants including the beta and delta variants, but do not know if these genetic changes make it any more transmissible or dangerous. So far, there is no indication the variant causes more severe disease. It will likely take weeks to sort out if omicron is more infectious and if vaccines are still effective against it. Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London said it was "extremely unlikely" that current vaccines wouldn't work, noting they are effective against numerous other variants.

As the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 has made its way into Dhaka and other districts from frontier ones, experts fear an impending health catastrophe in the coming weeks since there is no strict measure in place to stop it. They said half-hearted preventive measures, lack of seriousness of local administrations, reopening of intra-district transport services and people’s apathy to maintain health safety guidelines are the major reasons behind the worsening Covid situation in the country. The Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research has recently found 80 percent of a randomly selected sample of 50 Covid patients infected with the Delta variant. It also said the deadly variant has spread to parts of central Bangladesh, including the capital, while seven workers of Ashrayan Project in Nawabganj upazila of Dhaka have been detected with the same virus strain. The sudden spike in virus cases has put a severe strain on four major hospitals ---Rajshahi Medical College, Khulna Medical College, Chapainawabganj and Kushtia General Hospital--with increasing patients from 11 nearby districts. Also read: IEDCR study of 50 samples finds 40 are Delta Experts said the government should immediately increase the number of beds, doctors and nurses and treatment facilities, in these hospitals to cope with the pressure of Covid patients. The virus infection has been showing an upward trend in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Naogaon, Kushtia, Jashore, Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Natore, Noakhali and Cox's Bazar districts for several days.

As the Indian variant of Covid-19 spreads rapidly in the neighbouring country and beyond, so is panic and fear among people in Bangladesh.   For instance, local residents as well as scores of workers at Sonahat Land Port in Kurigram are living in the face of fear, with hundreds of Indian truckers entering Bangladesh through the border daily.   The locals and port workers fear a potential transmission of the highly contagious Covid variant as these truckers hardly adhere to health safety norms -- neither they wear masks nor maintain social distancing.   A reality check by UNB on Tuesday revealed that hundreds of goods-laden trucks from India were waiting on the Bangladesh side of the land port in Bhurungamari upazila for getting their documents verified.   Also read: 8 Indian variant cases identified in Jashore