The UN chief in Bangladesh has warned the government of possible second wave of the coronavirus cases if things are not planned properly.
“Without careful planning and in the absence of scaled up public health and clinical care capacities, the premature lifting of physical distancing measures is likely to lead to an uncontrolled resurgence in COVID 19 transmission and an amplified second wave of cases,” Mia Seppo told Bangladesh Post.
She said there needs to be “a balance between controlling the spread of the virus and managing the socioeconomic impacts of it, therefore there is a need to plan for a gradual transition away from such restrictions.”
\But she said this has to be done in a manner that will keep the transmission at a low-level while some parts of economic and social life can reopen, prioritized by carefully balancing socio-economic benefit and epidemiological risk.
The UN resident coordinator in Dhaka was giving an exclusive interview to Bangladesh Post.
The United Nations in Bangladesh, along with development partners, have been supporting the government of Bangladesh’s preparedness and response since the early stages of the pandemic through different ways.
Those include providing PPEs, testing kits, training health workers for various areas of response such as contact tracing, testing, and case management, providing additional equipment and supplies, and scaling up communication and community engagement.
Within the past few weeks, the UN has brought in more than 1.5 million gloves, 900,000 masks, goggles, and face shields, 300 thermometers, materials for building isolation and medical centres as well as the necessary medical supplies, and thousands of other protective items such as caps, gowns, boots, and shoe coverings imported by IOM, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, and WHO.
The items have been handed over the government of Bangladesh or deployed to the humanitarian operation supporting the government’s response to the Rohingya crisis in Cox’s Bazar.
During the interview, she shared her views related the pandemic management, lockdown and its socio-economic impacts. She also spoke on the impacts of fear and stigma related to the disease and how that can be addressed.
At this stage, she said, the most urgent needs are logistics and procurement as Bangladesh scales up its health care management and testing capacities.
“However, along with that it’s also urgent to equip and supply the health care system for a potential influx of severe and critical COVID-19 cases so this is a top priority,” she said.
“Immediate needs to achieve this include sourcing the required PPE as well as other medical equipment and supplies, training for health staff, and increased communications with the general population about COVID-19.”
Lockdown defense
As of Wednesday, Bangladesh confirmed 26,738 coronavirus cases and 386 deaths. The government has eased the lockdown allowing businesses to reopen before the Eid-ul-Fitr festival. Inter-districts movement is visible.
The UN chief said countries put these stringent measures in place, sometimes called lockdowns, in response to intense transmission.
“Many have used the time to ramp up their ability to test, trace, isolate and care for patients, which is the best way to track the virus, slow the spread and take pressure off the health systems,” she said.
“However, such strong measures have come at a cost and we recognize the serious socio-economic impact of the lockdowns, which have had a detrimental effect on many people’s lives.
“During these lockdowns it tends to be the most vulnerable who are most affected by it, this includes those living below or close to the poverty line, women and children in vulnerable domestic situations, refugees and migrants, and other marginalized and vulnerable groups in our society.
“The UN has been working with the government of Bangladesh to support efforts to increase social protection and safety nets for these groups,” she said.
The government earlier declared the whole of Bangladesh is an infection risk area.
This makes physical distancing, handwashing, and wearing cloth masks in public even more important “because they can slow the spread of the virus, though this alone will not stop the pandemic”.
But she said these are “defensive measures”.
“To win, we need to continue finding cases, isolating and caring for every confirmed case, and tracing and quarantining every close contact.
“These efforts can’t be done by one entity and there must be investment and engagement on every level from the general public right up to government to help slow the spread of the virus.
“In summary; to turn the pandemic around, countries need to invest in a comprehensive and blended approach that engages local communities, humanitarian organisations, government, and the private sector,” she said.
“The humanitarian community and health partners are fully supporting the government’s ongoing efforts for detection, case management, and communicating with communities.”
Stigma, fear
In Bangladesh, there are reports that people are hiding their conditions, and even landlords are asking tenants to leave home if tested coronavirus positive.
The UN resident coordinator said the UN Secretary General’s message was clear that “we must act now to strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate.”
“We’ve seen instances of hate speech, stigma, discrimination and xenophobia globally as a result of COVID-19 and it’s important that we remember we are all in this together so now more than ever is a time for solidarity.
“Stigma can cause people to hide their illness to avoid discrimination, preventing them from seeking immediate health care.
“This has a negative impact not only on the individual but also our collective efforts to control the spread of the virus.
“Many people may be fearful and anxious about COVID-19 which can be what drives stigma about it. The virus does not discriminate and anyone can be infected.
“It’s important to note that the majority of people recover from the virus however to combat its spread we need further increase testing, continue contact tracing, and for affected people to be able to safely isolate and treat,” she said.
The UN is working with the government to rapidly increase communications efforts with people across the country.
“Unfortunately fear, misinformation, and stigma about COVID-19 has the potential to be more deadly than the virus itself,” Mia Seppo said, asking all to visit UN and the Bangladesh government sites for reliable information.
“Everyone has a role to play in overcoming social stigma and fear,” she said.
“The number one way people can support these efforts is by arming themselves with the correct knowledge about the virus and sharing that within their own households and wider community.
“Media also plays also an important role in addressing social stigma and discrimination while reporting about COVID-19 and advising people to listen to official and reliable information while avoiding rumors,” she said.
Media can help communities “to grow the antibodies to stigma and discrimination”.
