DGHS: Disaster ensues if Covid-19 transmission not controlled by next week

Published at 07:10 pm July 11th, 2021

In this photo taken recently, a Covid-19 patient with low oxygen saturation level is seen being taken to the emergency unit of the newly inaugurated DNCC Hospital in Mohakhali, Dhaka. Many patients need immediate oxygen support as the country’s Covid-19 situation worsens day by day Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

Hospitals to run out of beds within 10 days if cases continue to spike at the current rate, authorities say

The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh will take a turn for the worse in the next one week if the virus transmission cannot be brought under control, according to the health authorities.

According to the division-wise analysis, coronavirus has spread to all the districts of the country, when both the infection rate and the number of deaths are on the rise.

At its weekly bulletin on Sunday, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) spokesperson Robed Amin said: “The existing [Delta] variant is causing deaths among the elderly persons as well as the young people.”

In the 24 hours to Sunday morning, 70 people died in Dhaka division, 51 in Khulna, 20 died in Chittagong, and 13 in Rajshahi.

The infection rate was 49.87% in Dhaka, 18.29% in Chittagong and 11.4% in Khulna. Patient pressure is increasing in Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna, the official added.

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The infection rate was very high last month. In June, a total of 112,718 cases were reported. About 100,000 people were infected in the first 10 days of July.

“If the number of patients continues to rise at this rate, no beds at hospitals will remain empty after seven to ten days,” Dr Robed Amin said.

Even in June, there were numerous beds empty across the country, including those in ICUs, he said, before adding there are only 300 Covid-19 ICU beds empty across the country now.

He expressed frustration saying that many people were leaving their homes for any valid reason or emergency amid a nationwide lockdown with the police, BGB and army on the ground to enforce the restrictions.

“It will be a disaster if the situation cannot be controlled within the next week. The day is not too far when the single-day infection will reach 15,000,” the official said.