Reza Mahmud :
Covid-19 infection rate remaining less than 10 percentages for the recent days raised hopes among all sections of people, and the public health experts say that maintaining strict safety measures caseload may go below zero percent.
They said, the Covid infection rate has fallen due to the several weeks’ strict lockdown ending on August 11.
As per the data of the Directorate General of Health Services, a total of 29,756 samples were tested during the last 24 hours from Thursday morning to Friday morning at 8 a.m. with an infection rate of 6.41pc. It was 5.98 percent on the previous day (Thursday).
The DGHS data revealed that the fatalities were 51 on Thursday and 38 on Friday. The data showed that while the number of deaths decreased, the infection rate increased.
Meanwhile, 19.18 pc infection rates were yielded one month ago on August 17 against 27 pc in the first week of the said month.
It has been revealed that the infection rate was decreasing but suddenly it turned a little bit up.
Public health experts said, after lifting of the strict lockdown, the unaware people are becoming disperate..
They said, if most of the people can maintain the health safety rules, it will be not difficult to keep the infection rate to zero percent within short time.
They suggested that obedience to the specific measures can make it easy to contain the fatal disease. The probable third wave also can be prevented as per the suggestion, they expressed hope.
The experts said, people should follow health safety rules adequately while the government should ensure vaccination widely and isolation of identified new patients.
When contacted, Professor Dr. Be-Nazir Ahmed, former Director of disease control of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told The New Nation, “The rate of caseload takes down turn for weeks that makes everyone optimistic. In the scientific view, it is high time to push the infection rate to zero percent by complying with the measures underlined by World Health Organisation carefully.”
The Professor said, “The infection rate has been reduced. That means, a small number of people are now being identified as covid patients. The government should keep all of those patients in isolation strictly. If it is followed properly, the infection rate will be zero percent shortly. It is scientific measure.”
He also suggested that collecting more vaccines and inoculating minimum 80 percent of the population of the country.
When contacted, eminent Virologist Professor Dr. Nazrul Islam, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University told The New Nation, “To contain the corona virus infection it is not necessary to impose lockdown anymore, but it is very much important to make the people compelled to maintain health safety rules properly.”
People cannot stay home for a longtime, as they need livelihoods, he added. If they wear face masks properly, wash hands and maintain social distances adequately, it is possible to contain the spreading of the deadly virus soon, the professor said.
