Economic impacts won’t be that dire: Kamal

Bangladesh is ready to tackle all challenges in accordance with government restrictions and policies introduced to curb the rising Covid-19 infections, and its economic impacts will not be as dire as feared, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said on Sunday.

Briefing the media virtually after participating in cabinet committee meetings on economic affairs and government purchase, Kamal added, “Our social net remains expansive. We will tackle the current situation just as we handled the crisis before.

At a recent event, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries leaders had claimed that they could not avail the incentive facilities properly. Commenting on this matter, the minister said, “The target beneficiaries will definitely get those facilities.

“These incentives will not get cancelled even if there is a delay in availing those. A beneficiary will be able to avail incentive if they fulfill the conditions we have set. I believe this issue to be a misunderstanding.”

He added, “I want to reiterate that anyone can submit a complaint about such matters to me, so that I can take a closer look and answer [the media] your questions better.”

Latest Covid-19 infections, deaths

Bangladesh reported 10,906 fresh Covid-19 cases and 14 new deaths in the 24-hour period till Sunday morning.

The country also reported a 31.29 percent positivity rate after testing 34,854 samples, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in its daily statement.

Omicron replacing Delta variant

The Omicron strain of Covid-19 is gradually replacing the Delta variant through community transmission in Bangladesh, warned the DGHS.

Directorate spokesperson Dr Md Nazmul Islam said the Omicron variant is spreading at the community level and its symptoms have similarities with that of the seasonal flu, reports UNB.

About 73 per cent of Omicron patients have runny noses while 68 per cent have headaches, 64 per cent have fatigue and 7 per cent of patients are sneezing, he added.

Besides, 7 per cent of patients have sore throats and 40 per cent are coughing. “These are the things we need to keep in mind.”

Dr Islam said the Covid infection began to rise in Bangladesh from the end of December. As of January 22, the positivity rate rose to over 28 per cent which was 17.82 per cent on January 16, the beginning of the week.

The number of patients in hospitals is growing, the official said, adding that this uptrend has been noticed since the end of last year till the beginning of this year.