The third wave of Covid-19 is raging on across the rural backwaters as well as its heartlands across the country while community transmission is at its peak.
As the second phase of ‘strict lockdown’ entered its eighth day on Thursday as part of the 14-day shutdown enforced by the government, Bangladesh counted the highest 11,651 infections and the second-highest death toll of 199 in the last 24 hours till Thursday.
During the period, 199 people died of Covid-19, of which 133 were male and 66 female.
Of the dead, 107 people aged above 60, 47 between 51 and 60, 28 between 41 and 50, six between 31 and 40, nine between 21 and 30 and two between 11 and 20.
Among the victims, 145 died in government hospitals, 42 in private hospitals and 12 in their dwellings.
The DGHS statistics said a total of 36,850 samples were tested in 605 laboratories across the country and at least 5,844 Covid-19 patients have recovered in the 24 hours.
At the same time, the highest positivity rate 43.26 per cent was identified in Barishal Division as 414 positive cases were found after testing 957 samples in the southern districts while Sylhet recorded 40 per cent positivity rate.
In Dhaka metropolitan area, positivity rate was 28.39 per cent.
With the latest statistics of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the total death toll hits 15,792 and total infections 9,89,289 as positivity rate hit 31.62 per cent till 8am Thursday.
On July 6, the country confirmed 11,525 Covid-19 infections -- the highest identification till then. The highest number of deaths was 201 recorded on July 7.
The institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Director Prof Tahmina Shirin said the high infections and deaths are now in villages.
“We have no specific data but the pathogen is certainly raging on in rural heartlands,” she said.
DGHS Director General ABM Khurshid Alam on Monday said they were getting more than half the patients from rural areas.
Remote southern villages like Kahalpur, Udoypur, Vandarkhola and Kodalia were among the villages under Mollahat in Bagerhat where infection rate is super high.
Assistant Health Director (Disease Control) under Khulna Division Ferdousi Akter said they were getting more patients from villages and most of them went to hospital at the eleventh hour due to their negligence when physicians have little to do.
“Death rate is also higher among those people being infected in villages,” she said.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital former vice-chancellor Professor Nazrul Islam, also a virologist, found three causes of high Covid-19 infection in villages.
“Delta variant is highly infectious. Poor healthcare system in villages and lax monitoring of the authorities concerned are responsible for the unbridled infections,” he said.
Still 35 districts out of total 64 have no ICU support while oxygen supply is not sufficient at upazila hospitals, observed the health expert.
According to IEDCR Adviser Mohammad Mushtuq Husain, infection rate in villages did not go up all on a sudden, rather it spiked gradually.
Virus surge in villages in Bangladesh is similar to that in India where it mutated, he said, adding that, “The virus contamination happens geometrically. Vaccination, healthcare and strict monitoring are the key to tackle it, or else the situation might spiral out of control.”
Post and Telecommunication authority had estimated that more than 10.6 million mobile SIM users left Dhaka from May 4 to May 15 to observe Eid-ul-Azha amid the government restrictions.
Health experts stress the need for setting up field hospitals for Covid patients, ensuring optimum oxygen supply and arranging Intensive Care Units to deal with the situation.
They also viewed that if the poor were given food support, many who had gone out to make a living, would stay home.
In May 8, Bangladesh detected the presence of Indian variant being spread across the bordering districts including Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon. Later a study by the IEDCR found its community transmission.
Bangladesh officially announced the presence of Covid-19 on March 8, 2020 while it recorded the first death later on March 18, 2020.
