The current surge in Covid-19 cases in many European countries has made leading public health experts in Bangladesh apprehensive of a third wave of the pandemic in the country despite a plummeting trend in the virus caseloads continuing here, reports UNB.
At the heart of their fears are children below 12 who remain out of the vaccine coverage and the elderly people.
These experts fear a slow pace of vaccination, waning vaccine immunity, sheer disregard for Covid-safety protocols, reopening of schools and increased travel might set the stage for the fresh Covid wave in the country -- a trend many European countries are witnessing now.
Bangladesh on Thursday reported five more Covid deaths and 244 fresh corona cases in 24 hours.
With the latest figures released by the Directorate General of Health Services, the death toll and the caseload in the country have reached 27,939 and 1,573,458, respectively.
Some 33,995,948 people have fully been vaccinated in the country while 52,983,555 received the first dose as of Wednesday, according to the directorate.
Public health expert MH Chowdhury Lenin, chairman of the medicine department at Health and Hope Hospital, says the second wave of Covid has remained controlled in Bangladesh for several weeks.
"We're now in a relaxed mood over the prevailing Covid situation in Bangladesh, but we also have an apprehension that it might deteriorate anytime as many European countries, including Bulgaria and Romania, are already facing a fresh wave of the deadly virus," he says.
Lenin warns that coronavirus cases have also started soaring in Iran and some areas of China. "So, this virus also can surge anytime in our country and there is no room for complacency over the current controlled Covid situation."
With the lockdown phase over in Bangladesh, Dr Lenin says that most people are now reluctant to adhere to the basic health safety rules -- be it sporting masks or maintaining social distancing.
"Bangladesh has so far fully vaccinated around 20 per cent of its population, but a swathe of people still remains unprotected. So, we must always remain alert and we can't afford to let our guard down," he says.
Prof Mushtuq Husain, a consultant at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), echoes similar sentiments.
"No country is free from a fresh outbreak of Covid as long as the virus is not eliminated from the entire world. We saw earlier that corona was almost gone from some countries with a zero infection rate. But the virus cases surged alarmingly in those countries again," he says.
According to the expert, there are sporadic cases of Covid transmission in Bangladesh now, with 250 daily cases on an average. "It can turn into a community transmission anytime as there's no travel restriction now. On the other hand, a deadly muted variant can hit our country," he warns.
Prof Mushtuq says many countries are witnessing a fresh Covid wave though their vast population is vaccinated. "Our country is a densely populated one and most of our people are still unvaccinated. So, we're at risk of a fresh wave of the virus."
Besides, he says the Covid vaccines cannot prevent the infection entirely. "The jabs can prevent the severity of the virus infection and help lower the fatality rate. So, unless these vaccines are modified further, we won't be able to attain herd immunity even by vaccinating 80 per cent of the population."
Dr Lenin says that children below the age of 12 are yet to be brought under the ambit of vaccination in Bangladesh while a number of senior citizens have not been able to get a shot.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
