Bangladesh has experienced a huge spike in the number of Covid-19 patients in the first 28 days of June with an increase of more than 167%.
Alarmingly, the number of deaths outside Dhaka has significantly increased in the same time period --- it is 10 times higher in each of the divisions than that recorded four weeks ago.
Experts said the reason behind such an increase in the number of deaths is because of not ensuring facilities outside Dhaka and lack in patient management procedures, which is yet to be investigated.
According to the data of DGHS, the death toll stood at 650 till May 31, which rose to 1,738, recording 1088 new deaths in just four weeks.
In each of those weeks, the country saw more than 270 deaths on average -- 238 on the first week, 283 on the second , 293 on the third and 274 on the fourth.
Dhaka city recorded its highest number of deaths in the second week (63 people) of the month, while the number was higher in the second and the third week for Dhaka division.
Dhaka city is the only place that saw less than 100% rise of deaths (86.5%) -- much lower than average rise in death (167.4%) – while the number of confirmed cases increased by around 171% in the same timeframe.
Chittagong recorded the highest number of deaths in the third week while deaths in Rajshahi and Khulna continued to increase by recording the highest number of deaths in the fourth week of the months.
According to the data, the death count is 11 times higher than the cumulative data till May 31 in Rajshahi, and four times higher in Barisal and Khulna.
Meanwhile, Sylhet’s death toll increased by three times – from 17 to 52. For Mymensingh and Chittagong, the numbers have doubled from the cumulative data till May 31 ---as Chittagong recorded 323 and Mymensingh recorded 32 new deaths in the same period of time.
District-wise data
In accordance with district-wise data, Dhaka, Gazipur, Bogra, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar has seen more deaths between May 31 and June 28, while deaths from Covid-19 in Narayanganj have seemed to have slowed down in the same span of time.
In Dhaka division -- Dhaka district recorded 76 deaths in these weeks; Gazipur recorded 37, four times more than cumulative data till May 31; and Narayanganj recorded 47, less than its total death toll till May 31 (81).
In Chittagong division -- Chittagong district recorded some 99 deaths, increasing by 176 till June 28 and Cox’s Bazar recorded 23 deaths which was 12 till May 31. Comilla recorded 70 deaths, taking its total deaths toll to 102.
The biggest surprise came from Bogra where the death toll reached 46 which was only one till May.
3 districts with no deaths
Three districts – Natore, Barguna, Moulvibazar – did not report any death in these four weeks although they have previously recorded deaths from Covid-19.
Till June 28, Natore recorded only one death from the virus, Barguna recorded two and Moulvibazar recorded three.
Decrease in number of districts with no deaths
When the month of June started 15 districts of the country had no deaths in their record. However, as the fourth week passed the number came down to 2.
Only Joypurhat and Chapainawabganj have no death count in their record.
Rajbari in Dhaka division, Pabna in Rajshahi division, Lalmonirhat in Rangpur division, Satkhira and Jessore in Khulna division and Sunamganj in Sylhet got their first death in the first week of June.
Bandarban and Rangamati in Chittagong division, Magura, Jhenaidah and Kushtia in Khulna recorded their first death in the second week of the month while Khagrachari of Chittagong recorded its first death in the following week.
Kurigram of Rangpur recorded its first death in the fourth week of June .
Reason still a mystery
Many experts said -- not developing health care facilities outside Dhaka, lack of oxygen supply, facilities and ICUs at district level and no research on causes of deaths -- are leading to the higher number of deaths in the districts.
According to DGHS claim some 216 ICUs (134 in Dhaka city only) in Dhaka division and 61 ICUs in Chittagong division are currently available for operations. Besides, Dhaka cumulatively has 190 ventilators while Chittagong has some 45 ventilators.
No other division except Rajshahi has more than 20 ICUs. Rajshahi currently has 23 ICUs and the highest number of oxygen cylinders (2,436), followed by Dhaka (2,497) and Chittagong (2,009). There is no high flow nasal cannula in the division except Dhaka and Chittagong, DGHS data said.
Eminent healthcare expert Professor Rashid E Mahbub said if the country ensured health care facilities, with oxygen supplies and other facilities in every district, the number of the deaths would be much less.
However, DR AJM Faisel, member of the Public Health expert committee for Covid-19 of DGHS believes that the death is not associated with transmission rather it is a matter of patient management.
“We from the advisory committee are pushing hard to have research on the reason behind deaths from Covid-19. If the reason is identified we will work on the weakest issue and bring the number of new deaths to zero,” he added.
