COVID-19: Denmark ceased AstraZeneca vaccine rollout

Denmark on Wednesday decided to completely cease administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the country's health authority said during a joint press conference with the Danish Medicines. Director-General of the Danish Health Authority Soren Brostrom said "Based on the scientific findings, our overall assessment says there is a real risk of severe

Bangla Academy President Shamsuzzaman Khan no more

Legendary folklorist and president of Bangla Academy Professor Shamsuzzaman Khan passed away at a city hospital on Wednesday losing his battle with Covid-19. The 80-year-old was on life support after being diagnosed with Covid-19 and was undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital for other illnesses as well. He

Over $1bn deal with WB for pandemic response

The government of Bangladesh signed a total of three financing agreements totaling $1.04 billion with the World Bank to respond to the pandemic and build resilience to future crises including vaccination. Economic Relations Division secretary Fatima Yasmin and World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Mercy Tembonsigned the agreements on

Why go for building new Covid hospitals?

Perhaps, the setting up of the Bashundhara Covid-19 temporary hospital on a sudden decision and shuttering the same within only a few months is one of the glaring examples of poor planning of Covid-19 management by the health department of Bangladesh. During early months of the virus outbreak in the

Can the lockdown deliver much?

The problem with the lockdown is that it’s a formal method that requires a level of discipline and order that is rarely seen in Bangladesh in general let alone the health sector. It involves herd behavior management of various groups and classes.  As the lockdown nears, people are more in

Covid-19: 69 deaths with 6,028 new infections

The number of Covid-19 deaths in Bangladesh fell slightly in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning, after registering an all-time high single-day death count for the past two days. The country saw 83 Covid-related deaths on Monday and 78 on Sunday while 69 fatalities were reported today, taking the total

Make lockdown count, extension unwelcome

Over the last few months, different sectors of Bangladesh appeared to have been recovering bit by bit following an abrupt but elongated brake on their busy schedules, thanks to Covid-19 induced nationwide lockdown under the official camouflage of ‘general holidays’ last year. But the fresh declaration of putting the country

Covid-19: Bangladesh logs new record of single-day deaths

Bangladesh continues to see an alarming increase in coronavirus fatalities, breaking its all-time single-day death count for the third time in as many days on Monday. Fatalities from Covid-19 rose to 9,822 as The health authorities confirmed 83 deaths in the afternoon, surpassing Sunday’s figure of 78. The mortality rate remained static

The new variant and the old mentality

Corona or Covid-19 has returned with venom never expected by anyone. Its infection capacity is far higher than the first surge seen last year and its felling people with a rapidity that is swift and not discriminating. Neither the rich and the famous nor the ordinary poor are being spared. 

Full lockdown should be a ‘very very last resort’

Lockdown is one of the means to contain the spread of Covid-19, not the only way to do it. Lockdown slows down COVID‑19 transmission by limiting contact between people, which many other restrictive measures can also do. On March 29, 2021, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) rightly came up with an