Staff Reporter :
Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services said the high Covid infection is an ‘alarming sign’ for the country’s pandemic situation.
“The surge of the covid-19 infection is an alarming sign. The situation would be more serious if the mass people ignore 11 point directives constantly,” Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the DG of the DGHS said it in a virtual press briefing on Monday.
The said that the daily case positivity rate now stands at 20.88pc, from 2.43pc on January 1
“Everyone must be aware of the variants, as the infection rate has already gone beyond 20pc,” the DG said.
“There is now no alternative to following health rules and obeying restrictions outlined by the government to contain the spread of the fatal disease,” the DG said.
The DG, however, said that the recent surge in Covid-19 cases is due to a reemergence of the Delta variant, while Omicron is also spreading in the country.
Most cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in Dhaka, he said.
Replying to a query, ABM Khurshid Alam said that though Omicron infection is on rise, over 80 pc of the new cases detected were from the Delta variant.
GISAID, a global science initiative, confirmed 55 new Omicron cases in Bangladesh on Monday.
The DG of the DGHS said that as per the data of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), around 69pc of the Omicron cases were found in Dhaka.
Stressing on the strict maintaining the health rules, the DG said that his department needs support from the local government for proper implementation of the restrictions.
The DG said also that the people most of the people infected now have not being vaccinated.
He said many covid patients died due to co-morbidities reasons like infected by cancers, heart disease with the coronavirus.
Additional DG Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora said in the briefing that the number of tests had been reduced in line with the decrease in case positivity rate.
The health authority is gradually increasing the number of tests outside Dhaka.
Replying to another query, Meerjady Flora said no lockdown order had been planned yet, but the authority is monitoring overall situation.
She said also that many people are moving between Dhaka and other districts which also increased the risks of covid spreading.
“The risks of infection and fatality would be increased more if the people do not maintain the restriction properly,” she said.
