Delta variant
Covid-19: Countries racing to vaccinate before Delta takes hold
Covid-19 continues its onslaught across the world, particularly on the back of the more infectious Delta variant that was first identified in India. Mass inoculation drives are underway in many countries, but even some countries that managed to get ahead in the vaccination race are now starting to witness spikes.
Meanwhile the global caseload is fast approaching the 184-million mark.
The total caseload and fatalities now stand at 183,742,035 and 3,976,335 respectively as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Read: Indonesia seeks more oxygen for COVID-19 sick amid shortage
As of now, 3,192,397,854 (almost 3.2 billion) vaccine doses have been administered across the world. Countries are using incentives for people to get shots including free groceries, travel and entertainment vouchers, and prize drawings. One US state has even offered free cannabis joints.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 33,717,567 cases, according to JHU, while 605,526 people have lost their lives to the virus.
Yet although the country missed a July 4 (their Independence Day) target to vaccinate 70 percent of the population with at least one shot of a two-dose vaccine, generally both cases and deaths have been trending down for quite a while now.
Since June 30, the country has been averaging fewer than 300 coronavirus deaths each day, for the first time since March 2020 - pretty much the start of the pandemic. On July 4, it reported 214 deaths.
The New York Times however reports that the highly infectious Delta variant continues to spread in the country, driving up case totals in parts of Missouri and raising concerns about vulnerability in other areas with low vaccination rates.
The risk of infection from the delta variant is “high to very high” for partially or unvaccinated communities, according to the European Centre for Disease Control, which monitors 30 countries on the continent. It estimates that by the end of August, the variant will account for 90% of cases in the European Union’s 27 nations.
The Dutch government is extending its vaccination program to those aged 12-17 to help head off a feared new surge. Greece is offering young adults 150 euros ($177) in credit after their first jab. Rome authorities are mulling the use of vans to vaccinate people at the beach. And Poland last week launched a lottery open only to adults who are fully vaccinated, with new cars among the prizes, according to AP.
Brazil, where the catastrophe has been driven not by Delta but rather its own more infectious variant, is fast catching up with the United States when it comes to the death toll, and the South American behemoth has the third largest caseload in the world, following the US and India.
It has recorded 524,475 deaths so far, while the total caseload stood at 18,769,808 as of Monday morning. On current trends, it may yet overtake the US by the time it's all over. It's 7-day moving average of deaths stood at 1563 yesterday, while cases were close to 50,000.
The case of Israel is interesting to demonstrate the ability of Delta to penetrate even highly vaccinated populations. The country has been one of the world leaders, if not the leader, in inoculation against the coronavirus, with 60 percent of the population fully vaccinated. It had even managed to do away with a mask-wearing mandate by mid-June. But on June 25, days after the Delta variant was first identified in the country, it reimposed the mandate for indoor spaces. Daily cases, which were down below twenty in mid-June, have been back up between 300-500 since June 25.
Read:Vaccination 'most patriotic thing', COVID not yet finished: Biden
The good news from Israel is that the spike isn’t translating into an increase in serious cases. So the vaccines developed by the pharma companies do seem to have the variant by-and-large covered.
India's own Covid-19 caseload rose to 30,585,229 on Monday, according to the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 723 deaths due to the pandemic since Monday morning took the country's death toll to 402,728.
Situation in Bangladesh
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%.
Read: Covid getting deadlier in Bangladesh; record-high 153 die in 24 hours
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.
18 patients die at RMCH Corona Unit
Eighteen more Covid-19 related deaths were reported at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) in the last 24 hours till Monday morning as the country continues to reel from a devastating 2nd wave of the virus.
Read:13 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital
Of the new fatalities, 12 tested positive for Covid-19, five had the symptoms but had not been tested or were not in possession of their test result, while one was receiving treatment at the unit despite a negative test result. Rapid antigen tests being used in the district can often throw up false negative results.
Director General of the hospital Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani, said eight of the patients were from Rajshahi district, three from Natore, four from Naogaon and one each from Chapainawabganj, Kushtia, and Pabna districts.
Read:Rajshahi Medical sees 22 deaths in single day
RMCH has been one of the most stretched hospitals in the country during the second wave of Covid-19, particularly since the latter part of May when the deadly Delta variant of the virus was identified in multiple samples in Rajshahi division.
Khulna logs record 46 single-day Covid deaths
An alarming surge of Covid-19 claimed 46 lives in Khulna division in 24 hours until Sunday, the highest single-day fatalities in the region, said divisional health department authorities.
The new deaths pushed up the district's overall Covid fatalities to 300, said the authorities.
Khulna, now the third most fatal region of the country, saw 1,304 fresh cases during the period taking the caseload to 60,564 as of Sunday.
Earlier on Thursday, the division logged the highest 39 deaths in a single day.
Director of divisional health office (DGHS) Dr Rasheda Sultana said 15 each died of coronavirus in Khulna and Kushtia, seven in Jashore, two each in Jhenaidah, Magura and Chuadanga and one each in Bagerhat, Satkhira and Meherpur districts during the 24-hour period.
Since the confirmation of first Covid cases on March 19, the division saw 1,214 deaths while 40,218 people recovered from the disease.
In Khulna district, 150 new cases were detected after testing 436 samples which is 34% of the samples tested as of now, said the DGHS.
So far, 16, 387 people have contracted the disease while 11,352 recovered from it in the district.
Of the 15 deceased in the district, seven died in Khulna Medical College and Hospital, six in private Gazi Medical College and Hospital and two in Khulna General Hospital’s Covid-19 wards.
Also read: Khulna Division sees highest daily death toll of 32 in single day
Dr Suhash Ranjan Halder from KMCH said 197 Covid patients are currently being treated at the hospital, 102 are in the red zone, 41 in the yellow zone and 20 each in ICU and HDC wards.
Dr Kazi Abu Rashed, a spokesperson at Khulna General Hospital, said 65 patients are now being treated at the hospital’s Covid-19 unit.
Meanwhile, Dr Gazi Mizanur Rahman of Gazi Medical Hospital said 20 of the 115 Covid patients currently admitted to the hospital are in the HDU.
As these three hospitals were struggling to keep up with the pressure of soaring Covid patients, a new Covid-19 unit was opened on Saturday at specialized Shahid Sheikh Abu Naser Hospital.
“In the first 24 hours of opening, 24 Covid patients were admitted until Sunday,” said spokesperson of the hospital, Dr Prakash Debnath.
Also read: Lockdown-induced price hike making life in Khulna miserable
Why Khulna seeing such an alarming surge?
Health experts have indicated some incidents that might have caused such a severe surge in this region.
Neglecting health rules during the winter as number of cases of failure to maintain proper quarantine of the India returnees infected with the Delta variant, then the Eid rush of homebound people and packed gathering in the cyclone centres during cyclone Yaas only added to the woes, they said
“The cases surged following the trend of previous year at this time but this year the spike is more alarming due to the severity of the new variant,” said medical officer of Khulna Civil Surgeon Sadia Monwara Usha.
“Most patients dying in hospitals are aged 60-70 years… they come to hospitals in such critical health conditions that we’ve nothing to do,” she said.
Civil Surgeon Dr Niaz Mohammod said ignoring health rules is the number one cause behind the worsening Covid situation in Khulna.
Also read: Khulna gasps for breath
Regarding the Delta variant spread, he said, “It is not that all the Covid cases are of the same variant in this region. There’re some patients in Satkhira and Jashore who have been infected with the Delta variant.”
However, Dr Rasheda Sultana Director of Khulna health office said, “Due to the new variant, it’s hard for patients to understand they could be infected with Covid-19. As they waste time seeking health services, the number of deaths rises in this region.”
Europe in vaccination race against COVID-19′s delta variant
Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations and outpace the spread of the more infectious delta variant, in a high-stakes race to prevent hospital wards from filling up again with patients fighting for their lives.
The urgency coincides with Europe’s summer holidays, with fair weather bringing more social gatherings and governments reluctant to clamp down on them. Social distancing is being neglected, especially among the young, and some countries are scrapping the requirement to wear masks outdoors.
Incentives for people to get shots include free groceries, travel and entertainment vouchers, and prize drawings. The president of Cyprus even appealed to a sense of patriotism.
The risk of infection from the delta variant is “high to very high” for partially or unvaccinated communities, according to the European Centre for Disease Control, which monitors 30 countries on the continent. It estimates that by the end of August, the variant will account for 90% of cases in the European Union’s 27 nations.
Also read: 'It's just the beginning': US ambassador on Moderna shipment's arrival
“It is very important to progress with the vaccine rollout at a very high pace,” the ECDC warned.
The World Health Organization is also concerned. The variant makes transmission growth “exponential,” according to Maria Van Kerkhove, its technical lead on COVID-19.
Daily new case numbers are already climbing sharply in countries like the United Kingdom, Portugal and Russia.
In the U.K., cases of the delta variant have increased fourfold in less than a month, with confirmed cases Friday up 46% on the previous week.
Portuguese health authorities this week reported a “vertiginous” rise in the delta variant, which accounted for only 4% of cases in May but almost 56% in June. The country is reporting its highest number of daily cases since February, and the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals has surpassed 500 for the first time since early April.
Read: Bangladesh receives 1st consignment of 2.5 million Moderna vaccine doses
Reports of new infections in Russia more than doubled in June, topping 20,000 per day this week, and new deaths hit 697 on Saturday, the fifth day in a row that the daily death toll set a record.
Still, “no one wants any lockdowns,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at a briefing, although he admitted that the virus situation in a number of Russian regions is “tense.”
In some countries, the virus is spreading much faster among younger people. In Spain, the national 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 people rose to 152 on Friday. But for the 20-29 age group, it shot up to 449.
Those numbers have triggered alarm across the continent.
The Dutch government is extending its vaccination program to those aged 12-17 to help head off a feared new surge. Greece is offering young adults 150 euros ($177) in credit after their first jab. Rome authorities are mulling the use of vans to vaccinate people at the beach. And Poland last week launched a lottery open only to adults who are fully vaccinated, with new cars among the prizes.
Portuguese authorities have extended the hours of vaccination centers, created new walk-in clinics, called up the armed forces to help run vaccination operations, and reduced the period between taking the two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from 12 weeks to eight weeks.
“We’re in a race against the clock,” Cabinet Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva said.
Read: Bangladesh receives 1st consignment of 2mn doses of Sinopharm vaccine
In the fight against vaccine hesitancy across Europe, the appearance of variants has fed public uncertainty about how effective the shots are. In Madrid this week, Claudia Aguilar, a 58-year-old archaeologist, got her second Pfizer-BioNTech jab at an auditorium that is expanding its working hours overnight.
Nevertheless, she said she is “not sure I’ll really be immune” against future variants.
“I mean, I’m a bit skeptical that this is going to do any good,” Aguilar said.
Bartender Yevgeniya Chernyshkova lined up for a shot at Moscow’s GUM department store just off Red Square after the Russian government required vaccinations for workers in some sectors.
“Now, it’s becoming mandatory and we all understand why — because the third wave of the pandemic has started here,” she said.
Fifteen months after WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, some governments appear more open to rewarding public patience than thinking about bringing back restrictions.
Some 40,000 fans went to England’s European Championship soccer match against Germany at London’s Wembley Stadium last week. In Portugal, new restrictions have been half-hearted, such as limiting restaurant opening hours on weekend nights.
In Moscow, however, restaurants, bars and cafes on Monday began admitting only customers who have been vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months or can provide a negative test in the previous 72 hours.
France lifted the last of its major restrictions Wednesday, allowing unlimited crowds in restaurants, at weddings and most cultural events despite fast-rising cases of the delta variant.
Tiago Correia, an associate professor at Lisbon’s Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, detects a mood of public impatience, especially among young people keen to enjoy warm summer nights.
“People want to return to normal more quickly than the vaccination rollout is happening,” he said.
The emerging variants have shone a light on the unprecedented scale of the immunization programs. The ECDC says in the countries it surveys, 61% of people over 18 have had one shot and 40% are completely vaccinated.
But Dr. Hans Kluge, the head of the WHO’s Europe office, cautioned this week that the delta variant is poised to become dominant by August in the 53-country region his office covers. And he notes that 63% of people in that region haven’t had a first jab.
“The three conditions for a new wave of excess hospitalizations and deaths before the (fall) are therefore in place: New variants, deficit in vaccine uptake, increased social mixing,” Kluge said.
'Dangerous period' with delta variant: WHO
The head of the World Health Organization says the world is in “a very dangerous period” of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting the more contagious delta variant is identified in nearly 100 countries.
At a press briefing on Friday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the delta variant, first found in India, is continuing to evolve and mutate, and it is becoming the predominant COVID-19 virus in many countries.
Also read: Delta variant exploits low vaccine rates, easing of rules
“I have already urged leaders across the world to ensure that by this time next year, 70% of all people in every country are vaccinated,” he said, adding that would effectively end the acute phase of the pandemic.
He noted 3 billion doses of vaccine have already been distributed and, “it’s within the collective power of a few countries to step up and ensure that vaccines are shared.”
Also read: What should I know about the delta variant?
Of the vaccine doses given globally, fewer than 2% have been in poorer countries. Although rich countries including Britain, the U.S., France and Canada have pledged to donate 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines, WHO estimates 11 billion doses are needed to immunize the world.
Delta variant exploits low vaccine rates, easing of rules
The latest alarming coronavirus variant is exploiting low global vaccination rates and a rush to ease pandemic restrictions, adding new urgency to the drive to get more shots in arms and slow its supercharged spread.
The vaccines most used in Western countries still appear to offer strong protection against the highly contagious delta variant, first identified in India and now spreading in more than 90 other countries.
But the World Health Organization warned this week that the trifecta of easier-to-spread strains, insufficiently immunized populations and a drop in mask use and other public health measures before the virus is better contained will “delay the end of the pandemic.”
READ: Cattle smuggling on amid concern about Indian Delta variant
The delta variant is positioned to take full advantage of those weaknesses.
“Any suffering or death from COVID-19 is tragic. With vaccines available across the country, the suffering and loss we are now seeing is nearly entirely avoidable,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday in urging more Americans to roll up their sleeves ahead of the mutant’s spread.Amid concerns about the variant, parts of Europe have reinstated travel quarantines, several Australian cities are in outbreak-sparked lockdowns — and just as Japan readies for the Olympics, some visiting athletes are infected. The mutation is causing worry even in countries with relatively successful immunization campaigns that nonetheless haven’t reached enough people to snuff out the virus.
For instance, the mutant has forced Britain, where nearly half the population is fully vaccinated, to postpone for a month its long-anticipated lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, as cases are doubling about every nine days.
In the U.S., “we’re still vulnerable for these flare-ups and rebounds,” said Dr. Hilary Babcock of Washington University at St. Louis.
The variants “are able to find any gaps in our protection,” she said, pointing to how hospital beds and intensive care units in Missouri’s least-vaccinated southwestern counties suddenly are filling — mostly with adults under 40 who never got the shots.
With nearly half the U.S. population immunized, CDC’s Walensky said about 1,000 counties, mostly in the Midwest and Southeast, with vaccination rates below 30% “are our most vulnerable.”
But the variant poses the most danger in countries where vaccinations are sparse. Africa is seeing cases rise faster than ever before, partially driven by the mutation, the WHO said Thursday, while areas in Bangladesh that border India are also seeing a variant-fueled surge. Fiji, which got through the first year of the pandemic without just two virus deaths, is now experiencing a significant outbreak blamed on the strain, and Afghanistan is desperately seeking oxygen supplies because of it.
The delta variant remains far from the only version of the coronavirus that’s spreading — and you don’t want to catch any kind. Here’s what scientists know so far:
EASIER SPREAD IS THE CHIEF THREAT
Scientists believe the delta variant is about 50% more transmissible than other types. Researchers are just beginning to tease apart why. But there are early clues that some mutations may ease a key step in how the virus slips inside human cells, said Priyamvada Acharya, a structural biologist at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute.
Still, it’s not clear if higher contagion is the whole reason the variant is spreading so quickly. In Britain, its rise followed a loosening of restrictions in May, when restaurants, gyms and other businesses reopened, and thousands of fans have attended sports events.
IS IT MORE DANGEROUS?
It’s harder to tell if the delta variant makes people sicker. British experts have said there are some preliminary signs it may increase hospitalization, but there’s no evidence it is more lethal.
It fueled a devastating COVID-19 surge in India in February, and “this time around we had a lot more people who were very sick compared to before,” said Dr. Jacob John of Christian Medical College at Vellore. But he cautioned that the “explosion” of cases didn’t necessarily mean this version was more dangerous, as more cases usually mean more hospitalizations.
READ: AstraZeneca, Pfizer vaccines effective against Delta Covid-19 variants: Study
THE BEST PROTECTION IS FULL VACCINATION
British researchers found two doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the AstraZeneca one were only slightly less effective at blocking symptomatic illness from the delta variant than from earlier mutations — and importantly, remain hugely protective at preventing hospitalization.
But there’s an important catch: Just one dose proved far less effective against the delta variant than against earlier versions of the virus. That has prompted Britain, which originally extended the gap between doses, to speed up second shots.
There’s little information on whether the delta variant can escape other vaccines, such as ones developed in China or Russia.
Experts say the Moderna vaccine, the same type as Pfizer’s, should be similarly protective.
Johnson & Johnson announced late Thursday that its one-dose shot also protects against the delta variant, citing lab tests of vaccine recipients’ blood. In a news release, the company said the immune response lasts eight months and counting. The information comes as some people immunized with J&J’s single shot have wondered whether they’d need a booster against the new mutated virus.
WHAT ABOUT MASKS?
The WHO has urged governments not to lift pandemic restrictions too quickly — including saying everyone, even the vaccinated, should continue to wear masks given that the delta variant spreads more easily and no vaccine is 100% effective.
In the U.S., the CDC maintains it still is safe for the fully vaccinated to go mask-free. But there’s no way to know if maskless people really are vaccinated and local governments can set tighter guidelines. This week, with the delta variant spreading locally, health officials in Los Angeles County said they still recommend masks indoors in public places for everyone.
If that’s confusing, consider that the more the virus is spreading in a particular area, the more risk even the vaccinated have of getting a mild or asymptomatic infection they could spread to someone not protected — such as children too young to qualify for the shots.
In Missouri, fully vaccinated Babcock makes sure she has a mask to pop on quickly if she runs into a crowd: “I feel like my new normal is holding a mask in my hand, ready to put it on if I need it.”
Cattle smuggling on amid concern about Indian Delta variant
Residents of the border areas of the district are growingly worried about highly contagious Delta variant of Covid infection as smuggling of Indian cattle has reportedly increased ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
The cattle smuggling has become rampant through the porous frontier of the district, alleged the local people.
Also read: Record-high cattle arrivals from Myanmar Wednesday
The smugglers bring the Indian cows during the night using both land and river routes, they said.
In the local haats the Indian cattle are available and traders from different districts throng there as the demand has spiked because of upcoming Eid festival of sacrifice.
Public transports go off streets, malls shut as ’ strict lockdown’ begins in Bangladesh
Public transports went off streets and shopping malls remained shut in Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh as the government has enforced a strict lockdown ‘on a limited scale’ from Monday in an effort to bring the Covid situation under control.
The alarming surge in Covid cases and deaths caused by highly transmittable Delta variant prompted the government to announce the 3-day lockdown ahead of an all out lockdown from July 1.
Read:Auto-rickshaw, light vehicles workers demand food, cash support amid 'lockdown'
Rickshaws and private vehicles were seen dominating the Dhaka streets on the first day of the lockdown.
People including office-goers were seen waiting on roads for a long time for rickshaws or motorbikes to reach their destinations.
Traffic police at different points are stopping vehicles and quizzing drivers and passengers, said traffic inspector of DMP Asaduzzaman (Mohakhali).
The Cabinet Division issued a circular over the fresh lockdown on Sunday.
The lockdown will remain in force from 6 am on June 28 to 6am on July 1, it said.
Movement of all modes of public transport except goods-laden vehicles and rickshaws will remain restricted and the members of law enforcement agencies will ensure it through regular patrolling, it said.
All shopping malls, markets, recreation centres, resorts, community centers, tourist spots will remain shut.
Read: Bangladesh ready to go into ‘strict lockdown’ from Monday
Hotels and restaurants will remain open from 8am to 8pm with online/takeway service.
Government and private offices will run with only necessary staff and they will arrange transport for office staff.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting, chaired by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the chair on Saturday evening.
The repeated lockdowns have become a threat to the livelihoods of many in Bangladesh while disrupting travel and social life.
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.
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.
A total of 119 people died in Bangladesh in 24 hours until Sunday morning, the biggest figure since the pandemic hit the country.
Read:No lockdown for health sector: Minister
During the period, 5,268 more people came out positive with Covid-19 in 24,400 sample tests, said a handout issued by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country’s daily positivity rate fell to 21.59% Sunday from Saturday’s 22.50%.
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.
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.