A person who has been tested Covid-19 negative, can be tested positive the next day, warns the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
“Community transmission has already been taking place in the country.
“And no one can be sure that the person who tested negative today, will not test positive the next day,” its Additional Director General Nasima Sultana said at the daily virus bulleting on Friday.
Community transmission is used to describe the situation where a person is infected by the virus but they have not been overseas recently or been in recent contact with other confirmed cases.
The term basically means authorities are unable to trace the source of the infection.
Sultana said the country is moving towards a grim situation as the people are not maintaining health and hygiene guidelines recommended by the authorities.
She urged all to be patient and compassionate towards the infected people and their families amid reports of harassment.
“I want to say one thing: that the people tested positive for coronavirus are not criminals. But reports of Covid-19 positive persons and their families of facing harassment are coming in,” said the DGHS official.
Bangladesh ranks 41 in most number of confirmed cases
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) situation report on March 9, 101 countries (excluding Taiwan) reported more coronavirus cases than Bangladesh.
But within 54 days, Bangladesh stands at number 41 in the list of most number of confirmed cases in the world, according to worldometer’s latest update at 3:30pm on Friday.
In the SAARC region, only India and Pakistan are ahead of Bangladesh. Pakistan is 25th with some 16,817 cases and 385 deaths, while India is at number 16 with 35,043 cases and 1,154 deaths.
Afghanistan is ranked 64th with 2171 cases and 67 deaths, while Sri Lanka is at 100th position with 666 cases and 7 deaths.
Maldives ranks at 112 with 468 cases and 1 death.
Nepal confirmed coronavirus cases months before Bangladesh, and is ranked at 164 with 59 cases, while Bhutan is at the bottom, with only 7 confirmed cases.
