It took over two months for Bangladesh to report the first 500 deaths from coronavirus, but a little over two weeks for the second 500 deaths.
With a shaky healthcare system, Bangladesh was ravaged by the pandemic with the official death toll from coronavirus crossing 1000 deaths on Wednesday, 85 days after the first death was reported on March 18.
With the deaths, Bangladesh becomes the 32nd country among 215 countries and territories that have crossed the 1,000-mark.
Other than India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, all other South Asian nations have lower numbers of deaths.
According to Worldometer, Afghanistan ranked 43rd in terms of recording fatalities with 405 deaths.
With 15 deceased, Nepal ranks 123rd, Sri Lanka ranks 134th with 11 deaths, Maldives ranks 147th with 8 fatalities while Bhutan controlled the global crisis, having no fatalities by strictly enforcing a travel ban and lockdown from the very beginning.
Japan, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iraq and even Afghanistan and many other countries are below Bangladesh in the tally of death count, as Bangladesh is the 32nd country on the list of highest deaths recorded.
Alarming rise in deaths
It took 20 days for Bangladesh to record 10 deaths, 34 days for 100 deaths, 69 days for 500 deaths and a total of 85 days for reaching the 1,000-mark.
The countrywide shutdown eased recently, during this crucial time-span, and the government divided the country zone-wise – red, yellow, and green.
Males more vulnerable than females
Men were found to be more vulnerable to Covid-19 in terms of mortality as 77% out of 1,012 deaths were of males, according to the IEDCR.
Out of a total of 74,865 positive cases in Bangladesh, 1.35% died, 21.24% recovered and currently there are 77.41% active cases.
39% deaths over 60 yrs
Of the deceased, 39% of the deceased are above 60 years while 29.62% are aged between 51 and 60. Around 17.4% who died from the deadly disease were in their 40s.
How other countries fare
Although Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Afghanistan have been witnessing higher rates of recovery than Bangladesh, the country of 160 million is still lagging behind those countries with only a 21.34% recovery rate as of now.
The authorities in Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, all tourism-based countries, initiated strict measures, including enforcing lockdown, social distancing, closing entry points into the country, from the very beginning of the global pandemic, which might have lessened the crisis, report international and local media outlets.
Looking at other countries, Mexico declared a health emergency and issued stricter rules aimed at containing the fast-spreading coronavirus only after the number of cases surged past 1,000 and the death toll rose sharply.
France became the fifth country to report more than 1,000 deaths from coronavirus after China, Italy, Iran and Spain and immediately a government body suggested a nationwide lockdown.
Recording the first infection one day before Bangladesh, Peru recorded the first death, one day after Bangladesh and reached the 1000-mark within 43 days from the first death.
Peru embarked on a comprehensive approach to Covid-19 in April, according to the UNDP.
While Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin admitted on May 7 that the real number of infections in the capital city was at least three times higher than the official figures, according to an analysis published on May 11, the Russian death toll could be more than 70% higher than given out in the official data.
Putting villages under lockdown is a demand of the times
Looking back at the situation of Bangladesh, there is much room for improvement in Covid-19 management in the future, experts claimed.
Prof Ruhul Furkan Siddique of Public Health and Informatics at Jahangirnagar University suggested disconnecting the villages from the towns but continuing the supply chain.
He urged the government to turn its attention to rural areas and away from Dhaka, adding: “Put the villages under lockdown, it can be easier and more fruitful since no one will enter the rural areas from the urban regions.”
Ruhul recommended that the government provide pulse oximeters for free to patients so that they could measure their oxygen levels at home.
“Prioritize the hospital management systems in Dhaka, and arrange the equipment available for home which can be used domestically,” he said.
Ruhul also asked the health authorities of Bangladesh to announce some common symptoms, from which suspected patients would realize they were infected without having to go for testing in laboratories.
