Moudud Ahmmed Sujan

On May 29, the Epidemiology and Public Health Committee of DGHS recommended strict and immediate “lockdown” on seven districts where the Delta variant of coronavirus started transmitting in the communities.

The Covid situation is now going from bad to worse even beyond the bordering districts, raising the spectre of widespread virus transmission all over the country.

On Thursday, the authorities of Chapainawabganj Sadar Hospital increased the number of beds for Covid-19 patients to 30 from 20 to tackle the rush of patients.

All eyes were on how Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal would plan to revamp the country’s ill-equipped and Covid-battered health sector when he presented the 50th budget yesterday.

With the number of Covid-19 new cases rising every day over last several days, a team of researchers said Bangladesh may observe another peak of novel coronavirus infection in mid-July.

Despite the health directorate’s strong recommendations for strict lockdown, officials in seven districts of Rajshahi and Khulna divisions opposed its enforcement right now, saying it will deal a heavy blow to around Tk 3,000-crore mango trade in the regions.

Health officials yesterday recommended immediate “strict lockdown” of eight districts that have witnessed an average of over 30 percent Covid-19 positivity rate for a week.

With the Covid positivity rate rising above 30 percent yesterday in three districts bordering India, health officials warned that the virus transmission may surge again in the country due to increased public movement and disregard for the health safety rules.

As black fungus infections emerge as a new threat to public health in India, health officials in Dhaka yesterday said they will soon release a guideline on preventing and treating the infection.

Nearly one million extra deaths relating to the Covid-19 pandemic occurred in 29 high-income countries in 2020, found a study led by a team of Oxford University researchers.

The restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 remain only on paper as there is little enforcement by government agencies to control public movement and plying of vehicles.

The country’s health sector looks ill-equipped to tackle a massive surge in Covid cases or anything close to the situation in India. Though there have been some improvements in management capacity over the last year, experts say it is far from enough.

The government will again extend the period of a project taken to set up a modern healthcare facility at the capital Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) after the project authorities failed to complete the work on schedule mainly due to the pandemic.

Amid fears of a further surge in Covid-19 infections, the government plans to segregate the big cities with higher transmission rate from the rest of the country and extend the nationwide restrictions with stricter surveillance.

Treatment cost for Covid-19 patients is abnormally higher at private hospitals than at public healthcare facilities, revealed a study.

The positivity rate of Covid-19 tests in the country has come down below 10 percent after 40 days.

The daily Covid cases may double after the third week of next month if the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed or withdrawn, a team of researchers has forecasted, based on epidemiological projection modelling.

The newly-launched DNCC Covid-19 hospital in Dhaka has been struggling with the rising number of patients due to shortage of skilled manpower and other facilities.

After the recommendation of the health directorate, the government yesterday shut down the border with India from today amid tensions over huge surge in Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring country.

Experts have again warned against the wholesale lifting of the coronavirus restrictions as the government plans to withdraw the travel restrictions from Wednesday.