ED: No one wants a third wave

The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating for Bangladesh, with April seeing the highest number of deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began, with a record 2,404 deaths.

While the situation remains dire, it appears that the worst of the second wave is behind us, and Bangladesh is no longer registering triple-digit daily deaths. However, to even think of complacency would be foolish at best and negligent at worst. 

Leading public health experts and virologists have already warned that Bangladesh is likely to experience a third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in June, attributed to the detection of the Indian variant of the virus within our borders. This has been further exacerbated by the traditional mass exodus of people currently occurring as we enter the last week of Ramadan leading on to the Eid holidays.

Crowded shopping malls and marketplaces combined with the flouting of health regulations and a lack of social distancing have been disappointing to say the least, and does not bode well for Bangladesh as newer and deadlier variants of the virus emerge. And, due to the devastation facing our Indian neighbours, we do not have the number of vaccine doses we initially thought we would have.

We must do better, and we must avoid a third wave. This means getting stricter with lockdowns, procuring vaccines from whichever reliable source possible, and overall, making tough but unpopular decisions that, in the long run, will save the lives of millions of people.