Home ›› 08 May 2021 ›› World Biz
The Covid-19 situation is worsening around the world with each passing the day, despite mass vaccinations. In fact, the total global corona caseload is fast approaching 157 million.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total Covid caseload reached 156,480,210 while the death toll from the virus mounted to 3,265,264, respectively, on Saturday morning.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has logged 32,649,677 cases with 580,870 fatalities to date, as per the university data.
India, which is now the world's second worst-hit country in terms of cases, has so far recorded 21,491,598 infections and 234,083 fatalities, according to the country's Health Ministry.
India has been hit by a catastrophic surge in Covid infections. New cases and deaths skyrocketed nearly 30-fold during March and April. The health system has been overwhelmed, leaving patients desperate for oxygen and other supplies, reports AP.
Hospitals across the country have been flooded with Covid-19 patients.
Brazil, counted one of the deadliest Covid-19 hotspots in the world, reported as many as 2,165 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours on Friday, raising the national fatality count to 419,114, the Ministry of Health said.
The Ministry said that 78,886 more cases were detected during the 24-hour period, raising the nationwide tally to 15,082,449.
Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid death toll after the United States and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Friday reported 37 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours, including that of 14 women, the lowest since March 28.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said the new fatalities pushed up the country’s death toll to 11,833 and the mortality rate to 1.54 %.
Besides, the DGHS said, 1,682 new cases were detected during the period following the test of 17,013 samples, taking the total case count to 770,842.
Bangladesh has so far carried out 559,9276 nationwide tests since reporting its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses it acquired from India's Serum Institute.
Bangladesh signed an agreement with Serum for 30 million doses. But a record number of cases in India has made the delivery of the doses uncertain.
India has tried to ward off its Covid crisis by ramping up the production of vaccines and banning their export, cutting off supplies to neighbours such as Bangladesh and Nepal as they struggle with infection surges.
However, DGHS DG Prof ABM Khurshid Alam recently assured that Bangladesh would get 2.1 million doses of vaccines by early May.
Lockdown extended again
The government has issued a notification extending the ongoing lockdown till May 16 with six fresh directives alongside the existing ones to contain the spread of Covid-19.
According to the notification issued by the Cabinet Division, officials of all government, semi-government, autonomous and private organisations, as well as banks and financial institutions have been asked to remain at their respective workstations during the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
Shops and shopping malls will remain open from 10am to 8pm maintaining strict health guidelines. If any violations are seen, the shopping malls and shops will be closed instantly, says the notification.
Inter-district transport services will remain suspended though intra-district transport services resumed from Thursday. However, launch and train services will remain suspended.
India in the grip of Covid
Bangladesh's largest neighbour India is grappling with the worst outbreak of Covid and set yet another daily global record of 414,188 confirmed cases and 3,915 deaths on Friday, bringing the national tally to 21.4 million infections and over 234,000 deaths. However, experts say the actual figures could be much higher.
The explosion of new Covid-19 cases is overwhelming India, leaving millions of people infected and putting stress on the country's already overtaxed healthcare system. The country has stepped up its vaccination drive for all its adults even though some states claim to be facing shortage of jabs.
The Indian government is facing mounting pressure to impose a strict nationwide lockdown, despite the economic pain it will exact, as an alarming surge in Covid cases that has pummeled the country's health system shows no signs of abating.
Months ago, India had appeared to be winning its battle against the pandemic. After a strict initial lockdown, the country did not see a surge in new cases and deaths compared to other countries.
But when the early restrictions were lifted, many people stopped taking precautions with large gatherings, political rallies and religious festivals being held at many places, drawing millions of people.
Bangladesh on alert
India's neighbours such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan are watching out for a potentially more infectious Covid-19 variant crossing the border from the country as they are also reporting a recent surge in new cases.
The new situation has prompted authorities in these countries to seal borders and restrict travel. However, given the porous nature of the borders, people cross frequently.
The surge in India has created big concerns for Bangladesh, where officials fear that new variants circulating in India could bring devastation.
On April 26, the country shut down borders with India for any kind of movement except that of cargo for the next 14 days as sparks from India's pandemic wildfire seem to have gone out of control.
