As Bangladesh is vulnerable to second wave of coronavirus, disappearance of maintaining social distancing and meagre use of masks may prove allgovernment’s measures to check the spread of coronavirus transmission ahead of the winter ineffective, experts feared.
They believe that stringent preparedness won’t work if individual remains unaware of adhering to health guidelines.
Talking to The Bangladesh Post, medicine specialist Dr Z M Kabir Chowdhury said, “In the wake of coronavirus second wave, those who will be affected by corona this winter will have an increased risk of shortness of breath and the period will be riskier for the elderly, as well as children.”
To contain the virus, people must follow the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended health guidelines, he added.
Health and Family Welfare Minister ZahidMaleque has stated that Bangladesh is now largely safe from the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday addressing an event the health minister also said, the health sector is now fully prepared to combatthe possible second wave of coronavirus infection through learning from previous mistakes. Hospitals do not have the deficiencies as they used to have in the past. Public-private hospitals are now able to provide all the necessary treatment to Corona patients.
In the meantime, Prof KhurshidAlam, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told that “We have taken all out measures but people have to maintain physical distancing and hygiene.”
Bangladesh is now better than many countries, he added.
Professor Liaquat Ali, former vice-chancellor, Bangladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS) told The Bangladesh Post that, regarding concern of the second wave of corona, local and foreign experts have advised all to be careful about re-infection.
“Due to the dry environment in winter, people are more exposed to the risk of spreading coronavirus through sneezing and coughing.”
In addition, in our country, as the risk of respiratory diseases increases in winter, the elderly people also havemore problems, so this time in winter, the risk for the elderly will be higher than before. As a result, they have to be more careful, he added.
He further mentioned that, winter usually witnesses activities such as wedding ceremonies. This gathering poses a high risk of clusters of transmission.
