Every Covid-19 patient infects 1.05 others in Bangladesh: Experts
The figure is based on data from the health directorate and the IEDCR
Every Covid-19 patient in the country is transmitting the virus to 1.05 other people, public health experts said during an online discussion on Friday.
They drew the conclusion after analysing data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
The experts conveyed the information to the DGHS on June 23.
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Stating that infections have almost reached the peak in the country, they added that the number of cases will rise if people's movement cannot be controlled during Eid-ul-Adha.
DGHS Director General Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad, its former director general and medicine expert Professor Dr MA Faiz, and adviser to the IEDCR Dr Mohammad Mushtuq Husain were among those who attended the discussion.
Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum organised the discussion, which was moderated by its President Towfiq Maruf.
Discussants said there is a lack of leadership and coordination among the health ministry and its subordinate bodies while taking measures to deal with the coronavirus.
They also mentioned a number of other weaknesses, such as lack of government planning on pandemic control and prevention, lack of skilled manpower and infrastructure, and failure to utilise local experts.
The letter "R" represents how many persons a Covid-19 patient transmits the virus to in a period on average. The World Health Organization estimates the average value of R at present to be between 2 and 2.5 in the world.
This means every Covid-19 patient is infecting more than two persons on average. However, the value of R varies according to countries and geographical regions.
