COVID DELTA VARIANT SPREADS UNCHECKED AS BANGLADESH STRUGGLES TO CONTAIN IT

  • 05/07/2021

The government has deployed the military to control the surge in COVID infections, which are blamed largely on the highly infectious delta variant. Bangladesh has been witnessing an alarming rise in coronavirus cases over the past several days, prompting the government to deploy the military to the nation's streets to ensure that people stay indoors and don't violate lockdown restrictions. The surge in the South Asian country's COVID infections is blamed largely on the highly infectious delta variant first detected in India. 

Some rural towns have recorded infection rates of about 70%, underlining the magnitude of the problem facing the health system. Bangladesh has so far reported nearly 950,000 infections and more than 15,000 related deaths. 

It also registered the highest-ever number of new daily infections at 9,964. Authorities have also shut down public transport and most shops.

Officials blame the surge of COVID-19 on people's refusal to wear masks or maintain physical distance. On Thursday, Khulna city recorded 46 virus deaths, according to an official count, while in earlier waves the daily death toll never went into double figures. Most people in the city believe the real toll could be much higher. Mohammad Siddik, a 42-year-old businessman who admitted his brother to a hospital in the district, said his brother had died because of a shortage of medical oxygen.

COVID vaccination drive suffers blow Meanwhile, authorities have been struggling to accelerate Bangladesh's vaccination drive. Only 3% of the population of about 170 million people have so far received the required two doses. The inoculation program took a hit after New Delhi stopped exporting AstraZeneca shots made in India earlier this year as infections skyrocketed there. Over the weekend, Bangladesh received the first shipment of 2.5 million Moderna vaccines promised by the United States. The Chinese embassy has said Beijing is sending about 2 million Sinopharm doses ordered by Dhaka, adding to 1.1 million shots already donated by China. Despite these supplies, the demand for the vaccines in the country far outstrips the supply and it seems unlikely that there will be enough shots available to immunize the country's population anytime soon.

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