World Bank has warned that one in every 10 people in Dhaka might have already been infected with Covid-19, adding that the coronavirus pandemic is not likely to pass anytime soon.
World Bank has made the revelation in a report titled "Beaten or Broken? Informality and Covid-19", which comes amid concerns of a second wave in Bangladesh during winter.
The report further said that even if the actual infections were much higher than the registered cases, it seemed unlikely that Bangladesh and other South Asian countries were already close to the levels that would trigger herd immunity.
"The evidence that those who recover from Covid-19 develop long-term immunity is not very solid. Hence, there is significant uncertainty about the future development of the pandemic in South Asia, and the only relative certainty is that it is unlikely to pass anytime soon," it said.
It said that testing was low and the actual extent of Covid-19 infections in these countries was highly uncertain because of supply constraints, social stigma, and a young population.
Due to the social stigma associated with an infection, many prefer not to get tested in the first place and only seek medical attention when the symptoms are severe.
The report also said that testing fees and distrust in the testing facilities result in subdued demand in some places.
"Most South Asian countries fare poorly on testing for Covid-19. The benchmark range for adequate testing set by the World Health Organization is between 10 and 30 per confirmed case," the report said.
But Bangladesh is testing far below the range, which makes its recorded numbers particularly uncertain, it said, adding: "Low testing is both a result of supply constraints and subdued demand for testing."
Bangladesh on Friday recorded the lowest number of new deaths from Covid-19 in four months as 17 more people died from the virus and 1,278 more tested positive.
A total of 11,256 samples were tested at 109 authorized laboratories across the country during the time.
Of the total sample tests in the past 24 hours, 11.35 percent tested positive, while 18.33 percent cases were detected from the total tests conducted so far, according to a a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
