It’s a miracle, says top Covid adviser Prof Nazrul on declining rate

When some countries are facing a massive rise in coronavirus infection, it has declined significantly in South Asia, including Bangladesh.

On July 28 last year, the infection rate jumped to 30.12 percent reporting the highest daily caseload of 16,230 and 237 deaths.  The highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.

On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 percent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.

Also, Bangladesh’s initiative to mass vaccination has helped contain the infection rate and the country has been experiencing below one percent infection rate for the last 14 straight days.

Yet, experts have no scientific reason why the rate is so low in Bangladesh at a time when some countries that have vaccinated more people than Bangladesh are facing higher infection.

“We are seeing below one percent infection rate for the last two weeks when we have vaccinated 75 percent people. Besides, many countries, who have vaccinated 90 to 93 percent of their total population, are now experiencing up to 30 percent infection rate now,” Nazrul Islam, a member of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19, said.

“It is miraculous for Bangladesh. And at the same time, it is a big question why the infection rate of the virus is on the declining trend,” Prof Nazrul, also a former vice chancellor of the BSMMU, said.

The research team under Virology Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has been formed to investigate the matter, he told the Business Insider Bangladesh.    

“Viral diseases are increasing in our country in the recent time and that might be a cause of lowering the intensity of the coronavirus. We are conduction research based on the hypothesis,” he said.

As people are roaming in Bangladesh it seems that the Covid-19 has gone from the country but it is not the case as evident in other countries including China and America.

In recent days Covid-19 cases have been surging and consequently, China has gone on lockdown, including the entire Shanghai, which is the largest commercial hub of the country.

Some experts say Covid-19 has not vanished; it is rather resurfacing and changing forms only. So, people must be cautious and follow health guidelines to avoid the spread of the virus.

“Our country is not at all free from the risk of the virus at present as it may spread any time as happening in other countries across the world,” Prof Nazrul said.

Responding to a query, Prof Nazrul also one of the country’s renewed virologists, said that the coronavirus situation is in stable state in Bangladesh. The government’s vaccination programmes also helped contain the spread under control, he added.

New variants of the virus are being detected in many parts of the world frequently and so there is no room to take breath of relief, he said.

Bangladesh witnessed 24 days with no Covid-linked death since March 15, according to the health department.

Current situation in Bangladesh

For the fourth straight day in a row, Bangladesh passed another day with no coronavirus-related death in the past 24 hours until Friday morning, according to the health department. 

Simultaneously, the coronavirus positive case is falling sharply as the country recorded 27 related active cases in the same period.

The daily positivity rate rose to 0.64 percent up from yesterday’s 0.52 percent. Besides, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 percent while the recovery rate increased to 96.83 percent which was 96.82 percent a day ago.

With the updated official data, the death tally of the virus remained static at 29,124 while the caseload mounted to 19,52,224.