Fourth covid wave has begun, experts warn

The fourth wave of Covid-19 pandemic has begun in the country, public health experts and virologists believe as the daily positivity rate crossed 5% on Thursday.

"The positivity rate has been below 1% for more than three months. Then in last week, the rate has moved up from 1% to 5%, suggesting that a new wave has started," explained Professor Nazrul Islam, member of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19.

"Now the infection needs to be controlled. Only 2 crore 47 lakh people received their booster shots. If we can provide booster vaccine doses to at least 10 crore people, the death rate will reduce even if the positivity rate increases," he told The Business Standard and warned everyone must wear masks.

Bangladesh reported the identification of the first Covid patient on 8 March 2020 and the first death on 18 March the same year. Afterwards, it saw gradual rises in the number of cases and casualties.

Seven months later, the situation started to improve. In March last year, the country saw an increase in cases – marking the second wave – amid the nationwide vaccination campaign.

The third wave began in January this year. However, from February to the first week of June, the positivity rate was low but recently started to spike.

Dr M Mushtaq Hussain, an adviser at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research IEDCR told TBS, "We are at the starting point of the new wave. New cases are increasing in geometric proportion due to the sub variants of the Omicron variant."

Echoing Professor Nazrul Islam, Dr Mushtaq also stressed that everyone must wear mask and maintain social distance.

"We must also quickly finish providing the second vaccine shots. Some 70% are yet to take their second doses. Everyone must be vaccinated," he said.

The number of daily Covid cases keeps rising in the country and 357 cases were reported after testing 6,200 in the last 24 hours till 8am Thursday.

The positivity rate also surged to 5.76% during the same period, which was the highest in the last three and half months. Earlier, on February 23 the positivity rate was reported at 6.77%.

Although the infections have surged, Bangladesh saw no death from the virus in the last few weeks.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday urged everyone eligible to take their booster doses.

"Death risk among people who have taken their booster shots is almost negligible. So please get your booster dose immediately if you haven't already," he told reporters at the Secretariat.   

So far, 29,131 people have died of the virus and 19,54,994 tested positive in the country since the outbreak in 2020.