Observe global situation even if Covid infection under control: Experts 

With the global Covid-19 situation improving, the number of deaths and detections of Covid-19 in the country has decreased, but since the virus has not been completely eradicated worldwide, experts have suggested monitoring whether a variant like Delta hits the country again.

Mushtaq Hussain, an advisor at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said the infection rate below 5% does not necessarily mean that all are safe. Until the virus is eradicated from the world none is safe.

Earlier, the infection rate dropped but due to some negligence, we could not retain it. So, it is important to keep a close eye on the global situation as well as bring everyone under vaccination soon, he added.

Mushtaq Hussain also said statistics say the infection is now under control in the country. If no new variants emerge, there may not be a big problem. But the health safety guidelines cannot be ignored. Social gatherings have to be prohibited as the borders are open any new variant may attack.

IEDCR said the infection rate in the country is below 5% for the last 11 days. According to the World Health Organisation, Covid-19 infections are considered to be under control if a country's detection rate remains below 5% for more than two consecutive weeks.

Former BMA president Professor Dr Rashid-E-Mahbub said the vaccination rate is quite good in developed countries but we could not yet vaccinate our citizens like them. In those countries, anyone who has not been vaccinated can be infected. So, we cannot assume that we are safe after global communication resumes.

"We became quite fragile after the Delta variant hit the country. If we had been tactical, it would have been possible to control the spread of this variant. Experts always advise in-depth analysis on the global situation and accelerate vaccine activities," he added.

In December 2019, the first Covid-19 infection occurred in Wuhan, China. Within a few months, the virus spread around the world. The first Covid-19 infection was detected in Bangladesh on 8 March 2020.

Since then, although the infection has been less frequent at different times, since the end of last May, the Delta variant of the virus increased the infections and deaths.

After that, the number of Covid-19 deaths and cases gradually increased. The country recorded even 264 deaths in a single day. 

In August, the mass vaccination of Covid-19 started in the country. The infections and deaths have been declining in the country since last month.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh reported 21 more deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. Besides, 847 more people were tested positive for the virus during the period, maintaining the daily caseload below 1,000-mark for the second day in a row.

Meanwhile, the positivity rate hovered at 3% for the second straight day as the health officials recorded 3.43% infections after testing 24,670 samples across the country. The death rate remained static at 1.77% for the last ten days.

As of Friday, 27,531 people have died of Covid-19 as the total caseload in the country was 1,556,758. Besides, 960 patients were declared free of Covid-19 during the past 24 hours, with a 97.44% recovery rate.

The Covid-19 victims' gender breakdown shows that 17,668 of the total deceased across the country were men and 9,863 were women.

Over 7 lakh AstraZeneca shots to arrive on Saturday

A consignment of 7.9 lakh AstraZeneca shots will arrive in Dhaka from Germany on Saturday afternoon.

A Qatar Airways flight will bring in the doses to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, said a press release on Friday.

Lokman Hossain Miah, senior secretary of the health service division, and Achim Tröster, German ambassador to Bangladesh, will be present at the airport to receive the vaccine consignment. There will be a media briefing after receiving the vaccines.