Monday marks the 100th day since the first cases of Covid-19 were detected in Bangladesh on March 8. South Asia has emerged as a hotspot for Covid-19 in recent times, and Bangladesh has fared significantly worse than its South Asian neighbours at the same point of the pandemic.
On the eve of the 100th day, a total 87,520 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Bangladesh. This is 55% higher than India, where a total 56,351 infections had been confirmed on their 99th day (the first case of Covid-19 in India was confirmed on January 30, according to the WHO).
Pakistan (first case February 26) had reported 80,463 Covid-19 cases on the eve of its 100th day, while Bhutan (March 6) had 62, Sri Lanka (January 27) 751, Maldives (March 7) 2,013 and Afghanistan (February 24) 15,750, according to Worldometer.
In terms of deaths, the official data shows Bangladesh is the third worst hit among South Asian countries with 1,171 fatalities on the eve of the 100th day. Pakistan and India had recorded 1,688 and 1,889 deaths, respectively.
By enforcing strict lockdowns, shutting down international airports and maintaining health guidelines properly, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka fought the global pandemic effectively and kept the number of deaths below 10 just before the first 100 days.
According to media reports, Afghanistan had recorded a total 265 deaths on the eve of the first 100 days despite having a vulnerable health system.
Bangladesh crossed the 100 confirmed cases mark on April 6, 1,000 on April 14, 10,000 on May 3, 25,000 on May 18, 50,000 on June 1, and 75,000 on June 11.
Prof Sultana Shahana Banu, head of the virology department of Dhaka Medical College, said: “Bangladesh is now passing through the fifth or sixth stage of transmission. After completing this stage, the country may experience a sharp rise of infection or fall.”
How does Bangladesh stack up against the other worst hit countries?
In comparison to the other worst hit countries in the world, Belgium (first case February 4) and the origin of Covid-19 – China (January 11) - were in positions than Bangladesh on the eve of their 100th days with 53,779 and 82,719 confirmed cases, respectively.
However, Mexico (February 28), France (January 24), Germany (January 28), UK (January 31), Italy (January 29), Spain (January 31), Brazil (February 26), and the US (January 20) all had over 100,000 confirmed cases on the eve of their 100th day.
Moreover, Bangladesh recorded fewer deaths than these worst hit countries, while the US had the most with 56,941 deaths on the eve of the 100th day.
As of now, Bangladesh has recorded 532 total cases per one million people, while only China and India among the worst hit countries are in a better situation with 58 and 223, respectively.
Pakistan has 631 cases per million, while Mexico has 1,107, Italy 3,914, Brazil 4,004, and the US 6,474.
Bangladesh has recorded seven deaths per million, while India recorded the same and China recorded 3.
Bangladesh testing lowest number of people per million
Even though Bangladesh has ramped up testing from about 10,000 samples per day on May 30 to about 15,000 on June 12, the country is still conducting the lowest number of tests per million people among the selected worst hit countries.
Bangladesh is testing about 3,065 people per million, while Pakistan is testing 3,936, India 4,102, and most other countries are in five digits with the exception of Mexico and Brazil.
Regarding the low number of tests per million people, Prof Shahana said: “The more we test the more positive cases we can find. Everyone has to think that he or she is infected with the deadly virus if they have not been tested, and we need to prepare for a hard fight as maximum cases are now asymptotic.
“Everyone needs to be in home quarantine and if symptoms develop and condition deteriorates, the person needs to be in institutional isolation,” she added.
Lowest recovery rate
Bangladesh also has one of the lowest recovery rates from Covid-19 at 21.40%. From a total 87,520 infected so far, 18,731 people have recovered.
Meanwhile, Belgium has a recovery rate of 27.62%, Pakistan 37.16%, USA 39.87%, France 46.43%, India 50.45%, Brazil 51.42%, Mexico 73.57%, Italy 73.89%, Germany 91.88% and China 94.27%.
Virologist Prof Shahana said: “Without the opportunity of storing oxygen cylinders at home, high flow uninterrupted oxygen supply must be arranged at hospitals, as well as more isolation beds, ICUs and ventilators.”
She urged the government to arrange dedicated hospitals for health professionals on the frontlines and their family members, as the number of doctors is decreasing due to infections among them.
“The terms quarantine, isolation and general holiday could be simplified so that root level people understand. Those who come to the streets searching for food can be helped by providing it in a corruption free manner,” the virologist added.
She also stressed the need for proper disposal of safety gear.
“China is going to impose lockdown again as fresh transmission has started. We should learn from this example of a second coronavirus wave. We were not aware from the beginning since we imported the virus through the ports without locking them down,” she added.