Infections are still rising
It is worrying that as the country is preparing to ease the lockdown before Eid to mitigate the economic fallout of the crisis, the ground realities regarding the number of COVID-19 positive cases and deaths related to the virus suggest that the disease is spreading. On Thursday there were 13 confirmed deaths due to the virus, the second highest in one day. Between May 4 and 5, 23 patients died from what appeared to be coronavirus at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital which is being used to treat COVID-19 patients. The bodies were handed over without being tested—authorities said they did not have the capacity to test them. Meanwhile as garment factories are reopening, according to Bangladesh Garment Shramik Sanghati (BGSS), 96 garment workers and a staffer of a factory were found COVID-19 positive between April 9 and May 7 in the country.
What all this points to is that there is every possibility that the virus will spread as already there are likely to be many infected. As markets and shops open the rush for Eid shopping will be inevitable and hence the spread of the disease unless stringent safety measures are maintained. In factories it is the same situation with maintaining and ensuring social distancing being major challenges.
The most dangerous factor in this formidable scenario is the fact that testing, although has been increased, remains grossly inadequate. As of Thursday 105,513 people have been tested—a drop in the ocean in terms of the real picture of infections according to experts. As more and more people—many of them could be asymptomatic carriers—will come out of their homes with easing of lockdown restrictions, the likelihood of the disease spreading will be high. Testing is crucial and has to be expanded exponentially, all over the country and if there are laboratories willing to take on this task and other entities coming up with fast, reliable testing kits, the government should take full advantage of them to increase testing. So far our knowledge of the spread of the virus, the specifics regarding the COVID-19 related deaths have been frustratingly limited which puts us at a disadvantage in our fight against the virus. Add to this our health sector which is already struggling with the crisis because of lack of resources and capacity.
Knowledge is therefore crucial in controlling the spread of the virus, isolating and treating the infected and saving lives. The government must therefore, take all steps necessary so that we can get as close as possible to the real picture through testing and disclosure of information. Without this knowledge we will be rushing out of the lockdown into a blind and dangerous alley.
Comments