Slum dwellers on Monday staged demonstrations blocking Dhaka-Mymensingh highway against an eviction drive at Mohakhali without ensuring their rehabilitation. Hundreds of slum dwellers blocked the highway in Amtoli area around 12pm as the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) authorities started an eviction drive in  ‘Sattola’ slum of Mohakhali. Read: BCL blockade halts classes, exams at CU However, the drive was stopped in the face of the protests. The slum dwellers, most of whom are the victims of river erosion, demanded rehabilitation first as they have no place to go. Read:Rangpur farmers block highway demanding urea Gulshan Division Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Ahad said police have been deployed to clear the highway for traffic movement.

In expanding the Covid-19 vaccination programme the government will start giving the jabs to the city’s slum dwellers from Tuesday, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said. The drive will start from Korail slum, home of about three lakh people, the minister told a programme at Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons in city’s Mohakhali on Monday. Read: Bangladesh can produce Covid vaccine, let us do it: PM Zahid said that even though Bangladesh has been able to bring the Covid fatality rate under control, the rate of infections is still increasing.  “We want to bring the deaths and cases to zero level,” he said. He said already 5 crore people have received the first dose of vaccine while 3 crore people have been fully vaccinated. Some 15 lakh people are taking the Covid jabs daily on average and the government has a plan to jab 3 crore people this month.

The presence of Covid-19 antibody is higher among the residents of slums than adjacent low-to-middle-income non-slum areas, suggesting that the people of these areas were infected more with the deadly virus. A study, carried out by icddr,b  between October 2020 and February 2021 among 3,220 people living in slums and adjacent non-slum areas in Dhaka and Chattogram cities, revealed the above information. The main objective of the study, titled ‘Drivers of Covid-19 in Slums and Non-slum Areas of Dhaka and Chattogram’, was to ascertain the seroprevalence of Covid -19 among slum and non-slum dwellers, and identify probable risk factors. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 76 more deaths, 4,846 fresh cases According to the study, the overall seroprevalence positivity among the participants was 68%, while the rate was 72% among people living in slums and 62% among residents of non-slum areas. The seropositivity was similar across adults (70%) and children (65.5%). The seroprevalence was higher in females (70.6%) than in males (66%). Higher seroprevalence was found in individuals with fewer years of education, diabetes, overweight, and hypertension. Also read: Hasina suggests 6 points for framing post-Covid global recovery plan Lower seroprevalence was found in individuals who frequently washed hands, did not put fingers on the face/in the nose, have been vaccinated with BCG, and carried out moderate physical activities. The study led to two conclusion -- the overall seropositivity was higher in Dhaka than in Chittagong, and estimated SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence was higher in slums than in the adjacent low-to-middle-income non- slum areas, according to a media release.