pandemic
7th phase of local elections underway in India's West Bengal amid COVID-19 spike
The seventh phase of local elections in India's eastern state of West Bengal is underway amid a huge spike in COVID-19 cases, officials said Monday.
The ongoing phase is being held in the shadow of spiraling COVID-19 cases. During the past 24 hours, 15,889 fresh COVID-19 cases and 57 related deaths were reported across the state.
The polling started from 7:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. (local time) amid tight security and adequate arrangements, according to officials.
In the ongoing phase, the voting is going on in 34 constituencies from five districts.
"Until 11:30 a.m. (local time) in today's phase, 37.72 percent of polling has been recorded," an official said. "Polling is going on peacefully and no major untoward incident has been reported so far."
Authorities have deployed 653 companies of paramilitary forces for the ongoing phase.
Special facilities including mandatory sanitization of the polling stations, thermal checking of voters at the entry point have been put in place.
Officials said in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, the option of postal ballot facility has been extended to the electors who are COVID- 19 positive or suspect as certified by the competent authority and are in home or institutional quarantine along with those marked as persons with disabilities and above the age of 80 years.
Officials said people in large numbers were seen standing in queues from morning outside the polling stations.
"All the necessary facilities and security arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair polling during this phase. The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is being used along with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at all polling stations with a view to enhance the transparency of the election process," an election official said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to exercise their right to vote and follow the COVID-19 protocol.
Elections in the state would be completed in eight phases and the last phase is scheduled on April 29. The counting of votes will be carried out on May 2.
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to unseat the local All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal. Both the parties have been engaged in a tough fight for the electoral battle in the state.
The elections are being held at a time when India is witnessing a record increase in daily COVID-19 cases.
On Monday the country reported the world's biggest-ever daily surge with 352,991 new cases and 2,812 deaths.
Bangladesh's growth, govt efforts during pandemic praised
Nikkei Asia, in its recent article, praised Bangladesh's growth describing how the economy has boomed and exports soared.
The article also described how Bangladesh's economy has even exhibited resilience during the coronavirus pandemic and appreciated the government's timely stimulus packages and decision to reopen factories as early as May 2020.
The article titled "Bangladesh at 50: how the country has fared since independence" mentioned that since 1971, it has outstripped Pakistan in generating growth, with apparel exports and a surge in remittances helping to drive the economy.
Bangladesh marked the 50th anniversary of its independence from Pakistan "buoyed by economic progress and a relatively successful response to the coronavirus pandemic."
Also read: UK PM hails Bangladesh’s growth
But, the article suggested that the progress still needed to lift more of its 163 million people, 2% of the global population, out of poverty and highlighted challenges and concerns.
Bangladesh's growth rate exceeded 8% in 2019, according to World Bank data.
When the country seceded from Pakistan, its gross domestic product per capita was about three-quarters of Pakistan's; by 2019, it was almost 45% more.
India's crematoriums overwhelmed as virus 'swallows people'
India’s crematoriums and burial grounds are being overwhelmed by the devastating new surge of infections tearing through the populous country with terrifying speed, depleting the supply of life-saving oxygen to critical levels and leaving patients to die while waiting in line to see doctors.
For the fourth straight day, India on Sunday set a global daily record of new infections, spurred by an insidious, new variant that emerged here, undermining the government’s premature claims of victory over the pandemic.
The 349,691 confirmed cases over the past day brought India’s total to more than 16.9 million, behind only the United States. The Health Ministry reported another 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing India’s COVID-19 fatalities to 192,311.
Also read: Iran bans flights from India and Pakistan
Experts say that toll could be a huge undercount, as suspected cases are not included, and many deaths from the infection are being attributed to underlying conditions.
The crisis unfolding in India is most visceral in its graveyards and crematoriums, and in heartbreaking images of gasping patients dying on their way to hospitals due to lack of oxygen.
Burial grounds in the Indian capital New Delhi are running out of space and bright, glowing funeral pyres light up the night sky in other badly hit cities.
In central Bhopal city, some crematoriums have increased their capacity from dozens of pyres to more than 50. Yet, officials say, there are still hours-long waits.
At the city’s Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat crematorium, workers said they cremated more than 110 people on Saturday, even as government figures in the entire city of 1.8 million put the total number of deaths at just 10.
“The virus is swallowing our city’s people like a monster,” said Mamtesh Sharma, an official at the site.
The unprecedented rush of bodies has forced the crematorium to skip individual ceremonies and exhaustive rituals that Hindus believe release the soul from the cycle of rebirth.
“We are just burning bodies as they arrive,” said Sharma. “It is as if we are in the middle of a war.”
The head gravedigger at New Delhi’s largest Muslim cemetery, where 1,000 people have been buried during the pandemic, said more bodies are arriving now than last year. “I fear we will run out of space very soon,” said Mohammad Shameem.
Also read: Why India is shattering global infection records
The situation is equally grim at unbearably full hospitals, where desperate people are dying in line, sometimes on the roads outside, waiting to see doctors.
Health officials are scrambling to expand critical care units and stock up on dwindling supplies of oxygen. Hospitals and patients alike are struggling to procure scarce medical equipment that is being sold at an exponential markup.
The crisis is in direct contrast with government claims that “nobody in the country was left without oxygen,” in a statement made Saturday by India’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta before Delhi High Court.
The breakdown is a stark failure for a country whose prime minister only in January had declared victory over COVID-19, and which boasted of being the “world’s pharmacy,” a global producer of vaccines and a model for other developing nations.
Caught off-guard by the latest deadly spike, the federal government has asked industrialists to increase the production of oxygen and other life-saving drugs in short supply. But health experts say India had an entire year to prepare for the inevitable — and it didn’t.
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the Indian government has been “very reactive to this situation rather than being proactive.”
She said the government should have used the last year, when the virus was more under control, to develop plans to address a surge and “stockpiled medications and developed public-private partnerships to help with manufacturing essential resources in the event of a situation like this.”
“Most importantly, they should have looked at what was going on in other parts of the world and understood that it was a matter of time before they would be in a similar situation,” Kuppalli said.
Kuppalli called the government’s premature declarations of victory over the pandemic a “false narrative,” which encouraged people to relax health measures when they should have continued strict adherence to physical distancing, wearing masks and avoiding large crowds.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing mounting criticism for allowing Hindu festivals and attending mammoth election rallies that experts suspect accelerated the spread of infections.
His Hindu nationalist government is trying to quell critical voices.
On Saturday, Twitter complied with the government’s request and prevented people in India from viewing more than 50 tweets that appeared to criticize the administration’s handling of the pandemic. The targeted posts include tweets from opposition ministers critical of Modi, journalists and ordinary Indians.
A Twitter spokesperson said it had powers to “withhold access to the content in India only” if the company determined the content to be “illegal in a particular jurisdiction.” The company said it had responded to an order by the government and notified people whose tweets were withheld.
India’s Information Technology ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Also read: India's COVID-19 tally nearing 17 mln
An Oscars unlike any other to get underway Sunday
An Oscars unlike any before will get underway Sunday night, with history on the line in major categories and a telecast retooled for the pandemic.
The 93rd Academy Awards will begin at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. There will be no host, no audience, nor face masks for nominees attending the ceremony at Los Angeles’ Union Station — this year’s hub for a show usually broadcast from the Dolby Theatre. In contrast with the largely virtual Golden Globes, Zoom boxes have been closed out — though numerous international hubs and satellite feeds will connect nominees unable to travel.
Show producers are hoping to return some of the traditional glamor to the Oscars, even in a pandemic year. The red carpet is back, though not the throngs; only a handful of media outlets will be allowed on site. (E! red carpet coverage starts at 3 p.m.) Casual wear is a no-no. The pre-show on ABC begins at 6:30 p.m. EDT and will include pre-taped performances of the five Oscar-nominated songs. The ceremony is available to stream on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, FuboTV and on ABC.com with provider authentication.
Pulling the musical interludes (though not the in memoriam segment) from the three-hour broadcast — and drastically cutting down the time it will take winners to reach the podium — will free up a lot of time in the ceremony. And producers, led by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, are promising a reinvented telecast.
The Oscars will look more like a movie, Soderbergh has said. The show will be shot in 24 frames-per-second (as opposed to 30), appear more widescreen and the presenters — including Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Harrison Ford, Rita Moreno and Zendaya — are considered “cast members.” The telecast’s first 90 seconds, Soderbergh has claimed, will “announce our intention immediately.”
But even a great show may not be enough to save the Oscars from an expected ratings slide. Award show ratings have cratered during the pandemic, and this year’s nominees — many of them smaller, lower-budget dramas — won’t come close to the drawing power of past Oscar heavyweights like “Titanic” or “Black Panther.” Last year’s Oscars, when Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” became the first non-English language film to win best picture, was watched by 23.6 million, an all-time low.
Also read: Is this an ‘Asterisk Oscars’ or a sign of things to come?
Netflix dominated this year with 36 nominations, including the lead-nominee “Mank,” David Fincher’s black-and-white drama about “Citizen Kane” co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz. The streamer is still pursuing its first best-picture win; this year, its best shot may be Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
But the night’s top prize, best picture, is widely expected to go to Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” a contemplative character study about an itinerant woman (Frances McDormand) in the American West. Should it be victorious, it will be one of the lowest budget best-picture winners ever. Zhao’s film, populated by nonprofessional actors, was made for less than $5 million. (Her next film, Marvel’s “Eternals,” has a budget of at least $200 million.)
Zhao is also the frontrunner for best director, a category that has two female filmmakers nominated for the first time. Also nominated is Emerald Fennell for the scathing revenge drama “Promising Young Woman.” Zhao would be just the second woman to win best director in the academy’s 93 years (following Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”), and the first woman of color.
History is also possible in the acting categories. If the winners from the Screen Actors Guild Awards hold — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’s” Chadwick Boseman for best actor, Viola Davis for best actress; Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”) for best supporting actress; and Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) for best supporting actor — it would the first time nonwhite actors swept the acting categories — and a dramatic reversal from recent “OscarsSoWhite” years.
Several of those awards appear to be locks, particularly for the late Boseman, who would become the third actor to ever win a posthumous Academy Award following Peter Finch and Heath Ledger. Taylor Simone Ledward, Boseman’s widow, has often accepted previous honors on his behalf.
Also read: Oscar nominations Monday could belong to 'Mank' and Netflix
If there’s one less certain category, it’s best actress. Davis, who has won previously for her performance in “Fences,” is up against Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) and two-time winner McDormand. Prognosticators call it a three-way toss up.
Sunday’s pandemic-delayed Oscars will bring to a close the longest awards season ever — one that turned the season’s industrial complex of cocktail parties and screenings virtual. Eligibility was extended into February of this year, and for the first time, a theatrical run wasn’t a requirement of nominees. Some films — like “Sound of Metal” — premiered all the way back in September 2019.
The pandemic pushed several anticipated movies out of 2020, but a few bigger budget releases could still take home awards. Pixar’s “Soul” appears a sure-thing for best animated film, and Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” — which last September tried to lead a moviegoing revival that fizzled when virus cases spiked and many theaters couldn’t reopen — will likely win for its visual effects.
But for the first time, Hollywood’s most prestigious awards will overwhelming belong to films that barely played on the big screen. The biggest ticket-seller of the best picture nominees is “Promising Young Woman,” with $6.3 million in box office.
Also read: A Sudan in transition presents first-ever film for Oscars
Lately, with vaccinations expanding, signs of life have begun to show in movie theaters — most of which are operating at 50% capacity. Warner Bros.′ “Godzilla vs. Kong” has made around $400 million worldwide, which theater owners point to as proof that moviegoers are eager for studios to again release a regular diet of big movies. Right now, the date circled on cinema calendars is May 28, when both Paramount’s “A Quiet Place Part II” and Disney’s “Cruella” arrive in theaters — though “Cruella” will simultaneously stream for $30.
But it’s been a punishing year for Hollywood. Around the world, movie theater marquees replaced movie titles with pleas to wear a mask. Streaming services rushed to fill the void, redrawing the balance between studios and theaters — and likely forever ending the three-month theatrical exclusivity for new releases. Just weeks before the Oscars, one of Los Angeles’ most iconic theaters, the Cinerama Dome, along with ArcLight Cinemas, went out of business.
After the pandemic, Hollywood — and the Oscars — may not ever be quite the same. Or as WarnerMedia’s new chief executive Jason Kilar said when announcing plans to shift the studio’s movies to streaming: “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Pandemic in Bangladesh: Shops, malls reopen doors
The number of private vehicles, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws marked a significant rise on the roads in the capital on Sunday as the government allowed shops and shopping malls to reopen their doors to shoppers on a limited scale.
The pressure of vehicles on the city streets was reported from areas like Mirpur, Gabtoli, Shyamoli, Uttara and Mohakhali amid the lockdown, which has been extended by another week to deal with the worsening Covid-19 situation.
In a circular on Friday, the government allowed the shops and shopping malls to remain open from 10 am to 5 pm from Sunday, prompting many people to return to the capital city.
People were seen entering the capital on foot through Babu Bazar, Amin Bazar Bridge and Tongi Bridge areas.
Although the movement of rickshaws on the main roads were relatively lower in the morning than the other days, those were found moving in backstreets.
However, no public transport and other city services were seen on the city streets.
The owners and workers of shops, markets and shopping malls were seen busy reopening their doors since 9 am.
Read Extension of lockdown causing anxiety among low income earners
While talking to UNB at Rajlaxmi in Uttara, traffic inspector Akhter Hossain said: “The pressure of vehicles is increasing. But such pressure was not there during the last few days since the enforcement of the strict lockdown on April 14. This is happening following the government’s decision to allow shops and shopping malls to reopen.”
However, the movement of rickshaws was comparatively thinner than the other days, he added.
Another traffic inspector, Asaduzzaman, said: “There has been huge traffic in Mohakhali area since morning and our colleagues (fellow police officers) were asking the public for movement pass at designated check posts.”
Strict lockdown in place since April 14
A surge in coronavirus cases prompted the government to go for an eight-day complete lockdown from April 14. The cabinet division issued a notification in this regard on April 12.
Later, following the shattering situation of Covid-19 cases, the government extended the ongoing lockdown by another week from April 22 to bring the situation under control.
A circular was issued on April 20 extending the ongoing strict lockdown for another week from April 22, aiming to curb the transmission of Covid-19.
Also read: Govt issues circular extending lockdown until April 28
As coronavirus cases continued to rise alarmingly since mid-March, the government imposed a loose nationwide lockdown for one week from April 5 as part of its move to contain its spread. Later, a stricter lockdown was declared from April 14 to 21.
Reopening shops and shopping malls
On April 23, the Cabinet Division issued a notice allowing shops and shopping malls to operate from April 25 (10am-5pm) on the condition that they would maintain proper safety protocols.
The shops and malls are permitted to reopen from April 25 subject to maintaining proper safety protocols, says the notice signed by Deputy Secretary Md Rezaul Islam.
Shops and shopping malls were shut from April 5 with a spurt in covid cases and deaths.
But the shopkeepers and traders waged street protests demanding the reopening of businesses. They argued that they had suffered massive losses last year during the lockdown.
Eid-ul-Fitr is generally the busiest time for businesses but last year’s Eid was celebrated amid the covid outbreak. Businesses had suffered huge losses.
Public transport to resume
On Saturday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the government is working on a plan to allow the public transport to resume operations once the current lockdown is over.
On March 29, the government raised the fares of all buses, including inter-district ones, by 60% as the vehicles are allowed to carry only half passengers of the total seats to ensure social distancing amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Covid-19 situation
Bangladesh recorded 83 more Covid-related deaths in 24 hours until Saturday morning, raising the total fatalities to 10,952.
Coronavirus fatalities crossed 10,000 on April 15 and the death tally came close to 11,000 within 10 days as the country finds it hard to deal with the pandemic.
Top health apps for online doctor consultation services in Bangladesh
In this current COVID-19 pandemic, getting out has become completely unsafe. Therefore, it has become more difficult to seek medical care in a hospital or doctor's chamber. However, even in this condition, other diseases besides corona have not stopped. To address this situation, different health apps come forward to provide doctor consultation services online based on digital technology so that everyone can get the necessary health care in a safe and easy way at home. Now, anyone from all over the country can take the advice of an experienced doctor from any part of the country at any convenient time for their health-related needs through the mobile app. Following are the top health apps for online doctor consultation services in Bangladesh.
Best Bangladeshi health apps in 2021
Tonic
Tonic is a top-notch healthcare information and service in Bangladesh from Grameenphone that offers its service via website and mobile app. Tonic service is available 24/7 and you can get the service through the app or by calling at 20000 from any number. Besides, you can also get the live video consultation service if required. Furthermore, you can even chat with the doctors via the Tonic mobile app. It is a kind of insurance service and comes with different packages starting from Tk. 50/month to Tk. 310/month. With the tonic service, you can get up to 50% discount at more than 250 hospitals in Bangladesh. The tonic mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices.
Praava Health
Praava aims to provide an excellent patient experience online and offline. Further, they work as a one-stop solution for healthcare, doctors and quality diagnostics, and more. They offer doctors from almost all the medical fields. Which you can access through the website and apps from your android or iOS devices. Praava offers Bangladesh’s first Molecular Cancer Diagnostics laboratory. However, all the offerings are available for the members which start from around Tk. 3,300/ year. However, they have different plans for the video consultation service that starts from Tk. 1,600/ 3 months for 4 family members. Furthermore, Praava offers a corporate plan which can be cheaper depending on the deals.
Read Online Pharmacy: Where to Buy Medicine in Dhaka during Coronavirus Home Quarantine
QuickMed
QuickMed came out as a telemedicine platform, which also provides service online through their fast website and mobile apps available on Android and iOS. QuickMed offers a variety of services such as online appointments, video consultations, electronic health records, and E-prescription. Apart from the doctor's booking, you can get priority in the nearest diagnostic center if you have their membership. QuickMed has a wide range of specialists including, Gynecology, Psychiatry, Skin & VD, Cardiology, Neurology, Urology, and Medicine. However, all the test details and prescription information is accessible by the patients online.
Doctor Dekhao
Doctor Dekhao offers health care in a single tap via their Android and iOS apps. The process is simple, you need to download the app on your phone and then create an account within few taps. After that, you can make an appointment from the list of doctors and specialists and get the consultation via video calling. Besides, if you need to consult a doctor urgently, you may apply for an instant appointment. As soon as you are done with the video consultancy, you will get the e-prescription right into your app. On top of that Doctor, Dekhao offers medicine reminders as well as store your medical reports. It comes with ten different packages starting from Tk. 100. Another best feature of Doctor Dekhao is having the service 24/7.
Shebaghar
Through the Shebaghar online doctor consultation app, you will get to access 316 doctors in different categories. You can book a doctor via the Shebaghar website or even from their Android and iOS apps. The doctor’s consultancy fees may vary according to the department and their experience. You will get to see the price on the list. The good thing about Shebaghar is that you will find a doctor for all kinds of diseases. However, the doctor complies with a permanent slot to attend to the patients via video call.
Read How to Use Ridesharing Vehicles Safely during COVID19 Pandemic
Bdcare
Unlike other online consultation services, Bdcare offers its service via Android apps as well as via the website. Whether you want to access the doctor via website or apps, patient registration is required. However, the doctor’s consultation fee may vary in certain factors, but you will get access at a reasonable price which starts from Tk. 300. The online appointment at Bdcare will cost you less money than the physical appointment. Besides, the patients will have the opportunity to ask follow-up questions for free for two days after the consultancy. Bdcare also offers health checkups to its clients from Tk. 4,480 to Tk. 7,520. However, the price may vary depending on their offers and promotions.
TeleMedi
TeleMedi has a diverse service for their clients which includes online doctor consultation and doctors are available from different districts. Like all the online doctor consultancy services, TeliMedi also requires registering prior to taking the service. Besides, the service is available via iOS and Android devices. TeliMedi follows the three simple steps to provide the service. You will need to find a doctor then check the doctor’s profile to know if it fits with your problems. Next, make the payment and book a visit with your desired doctor Apart from the doctor booking service, TeleMedi also offers ambulance, pathological tests, and pharmacy services.
Read Best Ride-Sharing Apps in Bangladesh
MedicsBD
It is just another online doctor consultation service provider that connects you with a doctor from a different background. Currently, they are offering services via website only. However, MedicsBD will bring out the mobile apps soon. But their website is accessible through the phone’s briers. On top of this, they also provide service for the students and nurses.
Bottom Line
With the increasing accessibility of the internet and smartphones, doctors have become available at our fingertips. You may check any of these 8 websites and apps to get your desired doctor. However, you should also do some research on the doctors before setting up an appointment.
Read Best Food Delivery Apps in Bangladesh in 2021
COVID-19 continues to disrupt essential health services in 90pc of countries: WHO
The second round of a World Health Organization “pulse survey“ reveals that over one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, substantial disruptions persist, with about 90% of countries still reporting one or more disruptions to essential health services, marking no substantial global change since the first survey conducted in the summer of 2020.
Within countries, however, the magnitude and extent of disruptions has generally decreased. In 2020, countries reported that, on average, about half of essential health services were disrupted.
In the first 3 months of 2021, however, they reported progress, with just over one third of services now being disrupted, said the WHO on Friday.
This survey looks at 63 core health services across delivery platforms and health areas. It was sent to 216 countries and territories across the six WHO regions.
Also Read: 90pc of countries report disruptions to essential health during coronavirus pandemic
135 responses were received (63% response rate) from senior ministry of health officials predominantly between January and March 2021.
The responses referred to the situation in the country during the 3 months prior to survey submission (in this case predominantly covering periods between October 2020-February 2021).
Overcoming disruptions
Countries have been working to mitigate disruptions. Many have now stepped up communications efforts to inform the public about changes to service delivery and provide advice about ways to safely seek health care. They are also triaging (the practice of allocating scarce medical resources among patients) to identify and better meet the most urgent patient needs.
More than half the countries consulted say they have recruited additional staff to boost the health workforce; redirected patients to other care facilities; and switched to alternative methods to delivering care, such as providing more home-based services, multi-month prescriptions for treatments, and increasing the use of telemedicine.
Read Alert over shortage of new drugs for ‘world’s most dangerous bacteria’
In addition, WHO and its partners have been helping countries to adapt their processes so they can better respond to the challenges being placed on their health systems; strengthen primary health care, and advance universal health coverage.
“It is encouraging to see that countries are beginning to build back their essential health services, but much remains to be done,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO.
“The survey highlights the need to intensify efforts and take additional steps to close gaps and strengthen services. It will be especially important to monitor the situation in countries that were struggling to provide health services before the pandemic.“
Persisting causes of disruptions
Countries are still having to make important decisions when responding to COVID-19 that may negatively affect access to care for other health issues. Redeployment of staff to provide COVID-19 relief and temporary closures of health facilities and services continue.
Read COVID-19: Health services for noncommunicable diseases significantly impacted
Although they may have taken on new staff, 66% of countries continue to report health workforce-related reasons as the most common causes of service disruptions. Supply chains are also still disrupted in nearly one third of countries, affecting the availability of essential medicines, diagnostics, and the PPE needed to safely and effectively provide care.
Communications efforts need to be further scaled up: more than half of countries report service disruptions due to patients not seeking care and because of community mistrust and fears of becoming infected.
Meanwhile, 43% of countries cite financial challenges as major causes for disruptions in service utilization.
As a result, millions of people are still missing out on vital health care. In terms of services, the biggest impact reported by nearly half of countries is on provision of day-to-day primary care to prevent and manage some of the most common health problems.
Read Shocking imbalance in Covid vaccine distribution: WHO
Long-term care for chronic conditions, rehabilitation, and palliative end-of-life care, is also still badly disrupted - severely affecting older people and people living with disabilities.
Potentially life-saving emergency, critical and surgical care interventions are still disrupted in about 20% of countries, reflecting the most immediate indirect consequences of the pandemic.
Two thirds of countries also report disruptions in elective surgeries, with accumulating consequences as the pandemic is prolonged.
Among the most extensively affected health services (i.e. those for which more than 40% of countries are reporting disruptions) are those for mental, neurological and substance use disorders; neglected tropical diseases; tuberculosis; HIV and hepatitis B and C; cancer screening, and services for other noncommunicable diseases including hypertension and diabetes; family planning and contraception; urgent dental care; and malnutrition.
Read WHO team urges patience after 1st look for origin of virus
Issued ahead of World Immunization Week (which starts 24 April) and World Malaria Day (25 April) the survey reveals that serious gaps also remain in addressing disruptions to services in both these areas.
More than one third of countries are still reporting disruptions to immunization services, despite progress in countries reducing disruptions to immunization services in health facilities and “outreach” immunization services by about 20% and 30% respectively compared to 2020.
This highlights the need for new and sustained approaches to improving immunization coverage and uptake.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose serious challenges to global health beyond the impact of the disease itself,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.
Read WHO report says animals likely source of COVID
“For children, disruptions to immunization services have serious consequences. As we scale up delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, we have to ensure that this does not come at the cost of essential childhood vaccinations. We cannot allow today’s fight against COVID-19 to undermine our fight against measles, polio or other vaccine preventable illnesses. Prolonged immunization disruptions will have long-term consequences for children’s health. The time to catch up is now.”
Meanwhile, nearly 40% of countries are also reporting disruptions to one or more malaria services. While progress compared to 2020 – with about 10% fewer countries reporting disruptions to malaria diagnosis and treatment and 25-33% fewer countries reporting disruptions to malaria prevention campaigns (including distribution of long-lasting insecticide impregnated bed nets, indoor spraying and seasonal malaria chemoprevention), the reported level of disruption is still significant and needs to be urgently addressed.
WHO will continue to support countries so they can respond to increased strains on health systems and rapidly evolving priorities and needs throughout the course of the pandemic, and to ensure that COVID-19 control strategies are in balance strategies to tackle other health priorities and secure continued access to comprehensive care for everyone, including the most vulnerable.
Key support mechanisms include the ACT-Accelerator, which works to speed up equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments, and the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, which guides actions taken at national, regional, and global levels to tackle COVID-19.
Read COVID-19 infections approaching highest rates ever, WHO warns
The Organization also remains focused on the delivery of the work it has committed to before the COVID-19 pandemic started. Internally, through the “Boost initiative” and the UHC Partnership, which covers 115 countries, WHO has strengthened its capacity to provide additional support to countries so they can maintain essential health services during the pandemic, and advance progress towards universal health covera
Covid situation in Bangladesh unlikely to improve before June: Experts
Bangladesh is unlikely to see any improvement in the Covid-19 situation before June next as the country is still in the grip of its second wave, predicted by a group of local and international health experts.
Using a mathematical model, Bangladesh Como Modelling Group, a group of experts from both Bangladesh and Oxford University, also projected that the country will witness a similar infection rate intermittently till the end of May while the situation may improve in June.
However, some local experts think the virus is yet to reach its peak as it is spreading fast in newer areas alarmingly since many people had returned to their village homes from corona hotspots before the government enforced the lockdown.
Talking to UNB, Dr Abu Jamil Faisel, a member of Bangladesh Como modelling group, said: “We’ve a projection that the current uptrend in Covid deaths and cases will continue erratically until the end of May. The situation may improve in June.”
He said they think the country is going through the peak of the fresh wave of the virus. “As per our projection, there’ll be a month of plateau and the country will witness the similar infection rate for two more weeks and then it’ll start flattening.”
Faisel said they projected that the infection rate will not substantially fall till the end of May. “But we couldn’t clearly project the death rate as it often fluctuates, and it depends on hospital management and some other factors. But it’s my personal assumption that the total death toll may surpass 12,000 at the end of May month.”
He said they shared their projection with the government. “We’re going to update the projection as we’re working on it.”
Dr Faisel, also a member of the public health expert team for the eight divisions formed by the government, said they recommended taking a coordinated and effective plan to break the cycle of the corona transmission.
“Cent percent mask use must be ensured and the number of the daily tests must be increased so that the positive cases can be detected fast for putting them in isolation. We also need to focus on contact tracing,” Dr Faisel said.
Also read: No risk of contracting Covid-19 due to vaccination: DGHS
Besides, he said, they suggested setting up field hospitals for ensuring better patient management at the initial stage of infection. “There should be dedicated ambulances for carrying Covid patients to hospitals.”
Strengthening preventive measures
Meerjady Sabrina Flora, additional director general of the health directorate, said the peak of the virus depends on some factors. “If we can strictly maintain the preventive measures we’ve taken now, then we can expect to see a gradual fall in virus infection rate.”
She said the number of deaths is high but not the virus death rate. “As the infection number has increased, the number of deaths has also soared.”
Flora said the Coronavirus death rate was 1.53 before the fresh wave of the virus, but this has now come down to 1.43. “That means the number of deaths increased due to the rise in the number of infections.”
She said there is no alternative to controlling the transmission of the virus to lower the number of deaths. “We must strengthen our preventive measures to check the virus infections.”
Read Brac to launch antigen testing Saturday
Is this an ‘Asterisk Oscars’ or a sign of things to come?
In 93 years of existence, the Oscars have been postponed by shootings — the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the attempted killing of Ronald Reagan — and by a flood, when 1938 rainstorms overwhelmed the Los Angeles River. Sunday’s ceremony will be the first Academy Awards delayed by a pandemic.
After a year that erased movie titles from marquees and sent seismic shockwaves through Hollywood, the show is going on — two months later than usual, in a crowdless ceremony at Los Angeles’ Union Station and with a batch of nominees that have barely played in movie theaters. The biggest box office of the best-picture nominees belongs to “Promising Young Woman” — a pandemic blockbuster with $6.3 million in U.S. ticket sales.
That this is all very strange goes without saying. Given such an unusual year, this year’s awards have been called the “Asterisk Oscars.” But there is reason to believe, and even to hope, that some of this year’s changes are here to stay.
Also read: Academy delays 2021 Oscars ceremony for global pandemic
The broadcast, beginning 8 p.m. EDT Sunday on ABC after a red-carpet pre-show, will be the most transformed in decades. The show’s producers, led by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, are pledging an entire makeover, one perhaps long overdue for an institution resistant to innovation. They plan to treat the awards more like a movie, including shooting it in 24 frames-per-second, rather than the typical 30. Zooms are strictly forbidden. Instead, tested and quarantined maskless nominees will gather at the downtown train station, while satellite feeds connect others from around the world.
On the heels of a humbling year, the Oscars — usually a frothy night of self-congratulation — this year may feel more like a therapeutic rally for an industry in the midst of convulsive change.
Just the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards saw one of Los Angeles’ most iconic movie theaters, the Cinerama Dome, along with ArcLight Cinemas, go out of business. When the Walt Disney Co. announced that it would delay “Black Widow” from May to July and open it both theatrically and on Disney+, cinemas shuddered. Adding to the sense of wholesale change was the news that Searchlight Pictures’ Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula — who have steered so many Oscar winners, including this year’s best-picture favorite, Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” — were stepping down.
“Even as the pandemic is winding down, I don’t know that we’re going to return to business as usual,” said Darnell Hunt, dean of UCLA’s College of Social Sciences, who studies Hollywood.
That’s good news, too. 2020 saw, Hunt says, “profound diversity” unlike any year before. In a study released Thursday and authored by Hunt and Ana-Christina Ramón, researchers found that 42% of roles overall and 39.7% of lead roles in 2020 films were played by actors of color — roughly in line with U.S. population demographics.
There are many caveats. Representation still lags behind the camera and among executives. With many of the biggest studio films put on hold, smaller, lower-budget films — many of them streamed — were much of 2020’s atypical output. But the diversity of those films has also transferred to the Oscars. In recent years, the film academy — which this year extended eligibility by two months and to films that bypassed movie theaters — has made strides in expanding its membership. In the coming years, the academy will institute inclusion standards in the best-picture category.
A record nine of the 20 acting nominees are non-white. If Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”) and Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) all win — as they did at the Screen Actors Guild Awards — it would be the first time people of color swept the acting awards, and a dramatic reversal from the recent years of “OscarsSoWhite.”
More women are nominated than ever before. Two — Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Zhao — are nominated for best director for the first time. (Only five women have ever been nominated until now.) Zhao, the clear front-runner, is poised to be only the second woman to ever win the award, and the first woman of color.
Yes, it’s an odd year. But with a class of widely admired films and roundly applauded nominees from groups that have historically been marginalized by the academy, a sea change in Hollywood is set to stirringly take the stage.
“This is clearly a watershed moment for the Oscars,” says Hunt. “It shows us what’s possible. If you go for generations without ever acknowledging the actors, director and writers of color, it’s hard to break out of that pattern. Now we’re creating a whole new culture of what’s Oscar worthy.”
Streaming — “a different animal,” says Hunt — has played a major role in making the film industry more inclusive. But it’s also disrupted and morphed movie culture. The Oscar nominees, like most films in the past year, were watched largely at home in more solitary settings than the packed theaters that usually feed the buzz of Oscar season. “Nomadland” found its largest audience, after a theatrical run, on Hulu. Netflix leads all studios with 36 nominations. Movies are more widely and more easily accessible on streaming services, but their grip on popular culture is potentially less firm amid oceans of digital content.
Also read: With red carpets rolled up, the Oscar race goes virtual
According to a survey last month of 1,500 active entertainment consumers by the research firm Guts + Data, not many people are familiar with this year’s Oscar nominees. Some 35% hadn’t heard of any of the eight films up for best picture. Warner Bros.’ “Judas and the Black Messiah” ranked highest with 42% awareness but only 12% had watched it. Sunday’s lead-nominee, Netflix’s “Mank,” was unfamiliar to 82% of respondents.
You could chalk some of that up to people having their attention elsewhere during a global pandemic. But some believe cinemas are the missing link. On Sunday, Patrick Corcoran, vice president of the National Association of Theater Owners, hopes to see a connection between movies “and the movie theaters that make the experience of seeing movies so special.”
“I think people already feel that,” says Corcoran. “It’s why the ratings for movie awards shows have fallen so precipitously this year – movie theaters are the missing element that drives the interest in movies and lifts their presence in the culture.”
Award show ratings, along with everything else on linear television, had been declining before the pandemic. Last year’s Oscar broadcast, in which Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” triumphed, had the smallest U.S. audience ever, with 23.6 million total viewers, according to Nielsen.
Also read: Regional film 'Jallikattu' is India's official Oscars entry
But ratings have nosedived this year. The Golden Globes dropped 63% to 6.9 million viewers. The Grammys fell 51% to 9.2 million. The Oscars are sure to sink to their lowest audience ever. Less clear is if that’s part of a downward trend — or another asterisk.
“I don’t worry about it,” says Soderbergh, who says he’s focused on putting on the best show possible. “The larger issue of whether this is a secular shift or a cyclical shift, we don’t know. It’s still too early to tell. But it doesn’t really meet my metric for tragedy or outrage.”
Govt made Bangladesh a ‘hell’: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday alleged that the government has turned the country into a ‘hell’ by arresting and repressing the opposition leaders and activists amid a pandemic.
In a statement, he alleged that police are not only arresting BNP leaders and activists in different parts of the country, including Brahmanbaria, Dhaka and Narsingdi, but also raiding their houses, launching a crackdown.
“The Awami League government has turned the whole country into a hell. They’re arresting the leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies every day. Even in the month of Ramadan, the monstrous image of the government seems to have taken a bigger shape,” Fakhrul said.
Also read: Fakhrul regrets BNP’s failure to revitalise organisations
He urged the government to immediately stop such arrests and release the arrested opposition leaders and activists.
Amid people’s anxiety and panic over the coronavirus pandemic, the BNP leader said, the government did not reduce its level of repression on the opposition leaders and activists. “Rather it has multiplied many times.”
Fakhrul said the people of Bangladesh are now going through a tough time under the ‘barbaric’ rule of an ‘oppressive regime’.
Also read: Govt-backed syndicate behind price hike of essentials: Fakhrul
“The people of the country are fed-up at the cruel and inhuman behaviour of the Awami government. The patriotic people and the political leaders and activists must be united to protect the country from misrule. There’s no alternative to forging a unity,” he observed.