Covid cases on the rise in border districts

We are alarmed at the recent rise in Covid-19 positive cases in the country, and especially in areas along our borders. Wednesday saw the highest number of positive cases (1,988 cases out of 20,259 samples) countrywide in a month. The daily positivity rate crept up from 9.47 percent on Tuesday to 9.8 percent on Wednesday, and the current average positivity rate is 13.44 percent. However, there is a marked difference in the positivity rates among districts, and those along the border are suffering more, both in terms of higher rates and lack of resources to fight the surge.

Rajshahi, for example, currently has a positivity rate of 16 percent, but saw a horrific 50 percent positive cases on May 31. Rangpur also recently had its highest daily positivity rate of 20 percent since the second wave came about, but the positivity rate in Dinajpur is at 25.86 percent. On May 27, the daily positivity rate in Naogaon came to a worrying 42 percent. Given the expected prevalence of the Indian variant of the virus in bordering areas, restrictions are already being put in place by the district administrations. In Rajshahi and Naogaon, for instance, all night-time activities outside homes have been banned for seven days starting June 2, but mango trade, online trade, and agricultural activities can still go on. Four wards in Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya upazila have also been declared red zones, and private and NGO-related activities have been suspended there.

However, we worry that stricter and more committed measures are needed from the government to improve the situation in these border districts, especially given their dire lack of healthcare resources. The Kaliganj Upazila Health Complex operates with only two doctors, which makes assigning shifts while maintaining health guidelines practically impossible. Health complexes in Satkhira have to take their oxygen cylinders to Jashore to have them refilled. Rangpur has a meagre 26 ICU beds between two hospitals, of which 23 were already occupied on Wednesday.

This does not paint a hopeful picture of a country facing the risks of another surge in Covid-19. If the recent situations in India and Nepal—and even the second wave in Bangladesh during March-April—have taught us anything, it is that oxygen and ICU beds are crucial in saving serious Covid patients. The fight against the virus cannot be centralised in and around the capital. We urge the government to take immediate steps to direct resources towards border districts to address these gross deficiencies in the healthcare system there, before the situation gets completely out of hand.