Publish : 18 Jan 2022, 02:14 AMUpdate : 18 Jan 2022, 02:15 AM
With the recent surge in the cases of Covid-19 infections, we need to start bracing for the eventual proliferation of the Omicron variant sooner rather than later.
The daily positivity rate currently stands at over 17%, more than double the single digit rate we suffered from merely a week ago. This sharp rise in Covid cases is reminiscent of the second wave that reared its head during the spring of last year.
And unless timely measures are taken, we are potentially staring down the dark barrel of another lockdown. Something that our country cannot risk going into any more.
Bangladesh made strides when it kicked off an effective vaccination drive during the tail end of the last lockdown, and the country enjoyed a period of relative stability with regards to keeping the number of infections down. This cannot be a reason enough for the administration to rest on its laurels.
With the rising infection rate, we need to reinforce any and all measures in a sustainable and rational manner.
To that end, the administration recently issued a new set of guidelines, but a look at our transportation system will show that they are not being implemented correctly. Buses have to be reduced to half their capacities; people have to be forced to wear masks. Alongside temperature, Covid certifications have to be checked when people attempt to enter public places.
Most importantly, the administration has to double down on the vaccination drive so that we can inoculate a sizable portion of our population before the virus has a chance to spread any further, something we were planning to do but we are still far from achieving.
Make no mistake: We are not out of the woods yet. But with proper guidelines, enforcement, and accelerated inoculation, we can most definitely find a way out.
Not out of the woods yet
With the rising infection rate, we need to reinforce any and all measures
With the recent surge in the cases of Covid-19 infections, we need to start bracing for the eventual proliferation of the Omicron variant sooner rather than later.
The daily positivity rate currently stands at over 17%, more than double the single digit rate we suffered from merely a week ago. This sharp rise in Covid cases is reminiscent of the second wave that reared its head during the spring of last year.
And unless timely measures are taken, we are potentially staring down the dark barrel of another lockdown. Something that our country cannot risk going into any more.
Bangladesh made strides when it kicked off an effective vaccination drive during the tail end of the last lockdown, and the country enjoyed a period of relative stability with regards to keeping the number of infections down. This cannot be a reason enough for the administration to rest on its laurels.
With the rising infection rate, we need to reinforce any and all measures in a sustainable and rational manner.
To that end, the administration recently issued a new set of guidelines, but a look at our transportation system will show that they are not being implemented correctly. Buses have to be reduced to half their capacities; people have to be forced to wear masks. Alongside temperature, Covid certifications have to be checked when people attempt to enter public places.
Most importantly, the administration has to double down on the vaccination drive so that we can inoculate a sizable portion of our population before the virus has a chance to spread any further, something we were planning to do but we are still far from achieving.
Make no mistake: We are not out of the woods yet. But with proper guidelines, enforcement, and accelerated inoculation, we can most definitely find a way out.
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