As the community transmission of Covid-19 fuelled by the highly virulent Omicron variant is going on in full swing across the country, public health experts warned that the uptrend in the virus infection may continue for two more weeks.
They also said the Covid positivity rate may hit a plateau in mid-February before a steep decline toward the end of the next month.
As per official data, Bangladesh has been witnessing more than 30 per cent infection rate for the last few days, but the experts believe the actual rate and number of infections is much higher than the government’s count since a huge number of virus-infected people remain untested.
Talking to UNB, public health experts Dr Abu Jamil Faisel, Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, Dr Mushtuq Hussain, and MH Chowdhury Lenin advised the government to strictly enforce the Covid restrictions alongside forcing people to maintain health safety rules to slow down the transmission of the virus.
Covid reaching peak
Dr Leanin, chairman of the medicine department at the Health and Hope Hospital, said the country is seeing an exponential rise in the number of coronavirus cases, as the current Covid wave is going to reach its peak.
He said the declining phase in the third wave of the deadly coronavirus may begin from the third week of February. “The infection rate may decline sharply or slowly depending on how the preventive measures are being enforced,” the expert noted.
Rural people’s vulnerability
Dr Faisel, a member of the Public Health Advisory Committee of Covid-19, said the Covid infections will show the uptrend until the second week of February. “The situation may improve at the end of the coming month.”
Dr Faisel said the virus transmission will now continue to grow in different districts. “It’s a matter of concern that many people in rural areas remain unvaccinated.”
He said people in rural areas are little concerned about undergoing Covid tests. “So, we won’t get the real picture of the Covid situation though the community transmission is going on in most districts.”
The expert said the situation has now reached such a level that community transmission cannot be stopped. He said people who still did not receive any dose of the vaccine are very vulnerable to the virus.
Restrictions only on papers
Dr Mushtuq Hussain, a consultant at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said though the Covid cases are growing alarmingly, people are still showing serious apathy to health safety rules.
Dr Faisel said most government restrictions are there only on papers, as there is no visible drive to enforce those properly. “People are still reluctant about wearing masks, avoiding mass gatherings.”
He said the government should strictly enforce all the restrictions to slow down Covid transmission.
Besides, the expert said, the vaccination drive should be intensified to bring the targeted population under its coverage as soon as possible.
Dr Benazir Ahmed, an infectious disease expert, said people should remain very careful for at least three more weeks. “They shouldn’t go outside without any urgent needs and avoid any gathering. “Health safety rules should be followed properly and no one should go outside without wearing masks.”
Another wave may roll in April
Dr Benzair thinks the third wave of Covid may come under control in the middle of March next, but another one to hit the country later.
“The government must remain alert as the country may see the surge of the virus during April again. We shouldn’t forget that we saw a serious spike in Covid cases during April over the last two years,” he warned.
He said it seems the coronavirus is unlikely to say goodbye anytime soon as more dangerous variants may emerge anytime. “We need to learn how to live with this virus.”
