Mizanur Rahman
Covid-19 infection rate in Bangladesh lowered to a single digit figure after a one-month lockdown. The infection and fatality rate from viral disease unexpectedly broke its record in March when the second wave swept through the country.
Bangladesh is currently under a lockdown that began on April 5 and was extended later in phases. The nationwide lockdown is scheduled to continue till May 16.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services, the infection rate was 23.40 per cent on the first day of lockdown on April 5 and rose to the highest 23.57 per cent on April 9. After one month it was 8.59 per cent on Wednesday.
The rate was 9.8 per cent on May 1, it was 9.6 per cent on May 2, 8.9 per cent on May 3 and 8.7 per cent on May 4.
There were 7,075 infected people on April 5 and in the past 24 hours the number decreased to 1,742. Since March 2020, a total of 7,67,338 people were infected.
The DGHS said that 55,60,678 cases were detected through RT-PCR, Gen-expert and rapid antigen test at 427 laboratories across the country since March 2020.
A total of 11,755 people died from Covid-19 till date and 50 of them died on Wednesday, said the DGHS.
Mohammad Shahidullah, president of the National Technical Advisory Committee on COVID -19, told The Business Post that the increases in infection rate showed that the current lockdown was effective to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection.
But the lockdown could have been more successful if it was stricter, he added.
Shahidullah said the infection rate was still rising in neighbouring India but the infection rate in Bangladesh decreased to one third.
The government has extended the current lockdown till May 16 and if people follow the guideline properly, the situation would improve, he added.
Shahidullah suggested ensuring no movement from city to village during the Eid holidays and urged public transports to operate within the cities with half of their capacity.
He also stressed proper monitoring from the stakeholders.
Ruhul Furkan Siddique, professor of Public Health and Informatics at Jahangirnagar University, said that there was nothing to be happy about the development as a more chaotic situation was likely.
He said that the situation in India made people in Bangladesh afraid and more people were wearing masks. But people have to wear a mask in a proper way, the public health expert added.
He said that after the ongoing lockdown the government should take an integrated plan for a regional lockdown. If a double-figure infection rate was found in any area again, a strict lockdown should be imposed there.
