coronavirus
Covid-19: 17 more die, 518 infected in Bangladesh
Covid-19 claimed 17 more lives in Bangladesh and infected 518 others in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
With the fresh numbers, the Covid-19 fatalities reached 27,730 in the country while the caseload mounted to 15,64,019, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Global Covid cases near 237 million
Of the latest deceased, nine were women and eight men.
Thirteen of them died in Dhaka division, one in Chattogram, two in Khulna and one in Barishal divisions.
Bangladesh logged seven Covid-19 deaths on October 8, the lowest since March 17 this year when the country recorded 11 such deaths.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 22,153 samples.
With this, the daily-case positivity rate declined slightly to 2.34% percent.
Read: Covid kills 11 more in Bangladesh, infects 599 others
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77%.
However, the recovery rate decreased slightly to 97.54% from Tuesday’s 97.55, with 505 more patients getting cured during the period from Monday’s 97.53%.
So far, 15,25,673 people have recovered from the deadly virus infections, the DGHS added.
US to reopen land borders in November for fully vaccinated
The U.S. will reopen its land borders to nonessential travel next month, ending a 19-month freeze due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the country moves to require all international visitors to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Vehicle, rail and ferry travel between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico has been largely restricted to essential travel, such as trade, since the earliest days of the pandemic. The new rules, to be announced Wednesday, will allow fully vaccinated foreign nationals to enter the U.S. regardless of the reason for travel starting in early November, when a similar easing of restrictions is set to kick in for air travel into the country. By mid-January, even essential travelers seeking to enter the U.S., like truck drivers, will need to be fully vaccinated.
Senior administration officials previewed the new policy late Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to speak ahead of the formal announcement.
Also read: Central American migrants debate route to US border, options
Both Mexico and Canada have pressed the U.S. for months to ease restrictions on travel that have separated families and curtailed leisure trips since the onset of the pandemic. The latest move follows last month’s announcement that the U.S. will end country-based travel bans for air travel, and instead require vaccination for foreign nationals seeking to enter by plane.
Both policies will take effect in early November, the officials said. They did not specify a particular date.
The new rules only apply to legal entry to the U.S. Officials cautioned that those seeking to enter illegally will still be subject to expulsion under so-called Title 42 authority, first invoked by former President Donald Trump, that has drawn criticism from immigration advocates for swiftly removing migrants before they can seek asylum. One of the officials said the U.S. was continuing the policy because cramped conditions in border patrol facilities pose a COVID-19 threat.
According to the officials, travelers entering the U.S. by vehicle, rail and ferry will be asked about their vaccination status as part of the standard U.S. Customs and Border Protection admissions process. At officers’ discretion, travelers will have their proof of vaccination verified in a secondary screening process.
Also read: Coronavirus: Canada, US extend border restrictions for 1 more month
Unlike air travel, for which proof of a negative COVID-19 test is required before boarding a flight to enter the U.S., no testing will be required to enter the U.S. by land or sea, provided the travelers meet the vaccination requirement.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. will accept travelers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, not just those in use in the U.S. That means that the AstraZeneca vaccine, widely used in Canada, will be accepted.
Officials said the CDC was still working to formalize procedures for admitting those who received doses of two different vaccines, as was fairly common in Canada.
The delay in the vaccination requirement for essential cross-border travel is meant to provide truck drivers and others with additional time to get a shot and minimize potential economic disruption from the vaccination mandate, officials said.
All told, the new procedures move toward a policy based on the risk profiles of individuals, rather than less targeted country-based bans.
The vaccination requirement for foreign nationals comes as the White House has moved to impose sweeping vaccination-or-testing requirements affecting as many as 100 million people in the U.S. in an effort to encourage holdouts to get shots.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor completed the initial draft of an emergency regulation that will require employers of 100 workers or more to demand their employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly. The Office of Management and Budget is now reviewing the order before its implementation.
Mexico has not put in place any COVID-19 entry procedures for travelers. Canada allows entry of fully-vaccinated individuals with proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as well as proof of a negative test conducted within 72 hours of entry to the country.
Covid-19: Experts say Bangladesh close to reaching herd immunity threshold
Even though Bangladesh logged 15,61,463 Covid-19 cases as of Friday, experts believe around 70 percent population of the country may have contracted the virus and developed natural antibodies.
Some experts think that the country is close to reaching the herd immunity threshold while some others say a comprehensive serosurveillance report is necessary to reach a conclusion over it.
They all, however, viewed that it is necessary to inoculate around 70-80 percent of people of the country to attain herd protection against the Coronavirus as any virulent new variant like Delta can emerge and dodge people’s natural immune protection.
Read Kindergartens in Chandpur struggle to recover from Covid-19 shocks, many stay closed
Herd immunity is a concept based on the body's immune resistance to the spread of a deadly disease (bacterial or viral infection) and it can be obtained in two ways -- naturally through infections of the majority of the population and artificially through vaccinating around 80 percent of the population of a country.
Official data on infection, vaccination
As per the data of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh reported 15,61,463 cases till Friday while the positivity rate was 2.77. The daily-case positivity rate in the country remained below 5 percent for over last two weeks.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a total of 35,829,418 people received the first dose of vaccines while 17,795,120 ones both doses as of October 7. The country has so far collected 64,568,420 doses AstraZeneca , Pfizer, Moderna and Sinopharm vaccines.
Read DU to collaborate with AFC Biotech to develop Covid-19 vaccine
Meanwhile, Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said around five crore people have already been vaccinated while 50 percent will be brought under the vaccination by December next.
He said they also have a plan to vaccinate 70-80 percent people of the country by March next year.
Debate over antibody, herd immunity
Based on some studies on samples collected from both symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid positive individuals, Ramon Magsaysay Award-winning Bangladeshi scientist Dr Firdausi Qadri said 60-70 percent people of Bangladesh have gained some types of antibodies against Covid-19.
Read: Bangladesh unlikely to reach Covid herd immunity anytime soon: Expert
Child marriage was an epidemic within the pandemic in Bangladesh
The period covered by the pandemic has witnessed another epidemic, child marriage, returning to some areas of Bangladesh as educational institutes were closed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Poor families in the country's hinterland, who once were convinced to send their children to school by the school meals program eased the burden on them to feed.
However, the covid-19 is contained or not during this period, the education of the girl students has been stopped due to child marriage.
Especially in Kurigram, the rate of child marriage is increasing rapidly, cannot be contained in any way. The girl students of this area are now living in their husband's houses at an early age.
Read: Child marriage rates soar in Cox's Bazar in the shadow of pandemic
More than 500 schoolgirls belonging to 43 educational institutions of Fulbari Upazila were married off during this pandemic, confirmed Upazila Secondary Education Officer Md Abdul Hai.
The highest number of child marriages were reported of students in the Borovita Girls' High School and Borovita High School in Borovita union of the upazila.
Around 87 girls in Borovita Girls' High School and 55 girls including three SSC examinees in Borovita High School have been the victim of child marriage, said the headmasters of the schools.
Read Initiative launched to end child marriage in Bangladesh
Md Matiur Rahman Khandaker, the headmaster of Borovita Girls' High School said, "Based on preliminary information, we have received data of marriages of 87 students of 6th to 10th grade and SSC candidates."
Of course, it was not possible to go to every house and get information about the marriage. In many cases, the news has been confirmed by classmates and neighbours.
"However, the actual number may increase further," said the headmaster.
Read Patuakhali child marriage: case filed against UP chairman and five others
He also said the Upazila Secondary Education Officer has been informed through a detailed letter containing names and other information.
DU ready to roll out its vaccination drive Monday
Dhaka University, the country’s oldest university, will launch its vaccination campaign on Monday at its medical centre, aiming to vaccinate its teachers, students and staff.
The university has already turned its Martyred Intellectual Dr Muhammad Murtaza Medical Centre into a temporary vaccination centre.
Officials said the campaign will be inaugurated at 9:30am and run till October 17 with Sinopharm vaccine jabs.
The vaccine seekers must bring their national identity cards (NIDs) or DU IDs to complete the on-the-spot registration.
The drive for the second dose was scheduled to begin on November 1.
Those who have already registered to receive the Covid-19 vaccine at centres under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), such as Dhaka Medical College Hospital, BSMMU, and Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, may take the vaccine at the DU if they are yet to be vaccinated with any of the doses.
Read: Hasina’s birthday celebrated amid mass vaccination campaign
Covid-19: Covid death toll falls to 17 in Bangladesh
Covid-19 in Bangladesh claimed 17 more lives and infected 1,178 others in 24 hours till Wednesday morning, showing a slight decline in the number of fatalities and cases compared to that of the previous day.
On Tuesday, the country logged 31 Covid deaths and 1,310 cases while 21 on Sunday, the lowest in four months.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 28,599 samples.
Read: Hasina's 'haseen' birthday gift: Over 66 lakh inoculations in single day
Best Business Ideas Amidst the Pandemic and New Normal
The Covid-19 pandemic has left most of the economies of the world in a downward spiral. Businesses across sectors have suffered much. Some were even forced to shut down. As the world grapples with the new normal, not all hope is lost for businesses. Some existing businesses took a new approach in their operations, while other completely new ones cropped up as well. And what are these pandemic proof business ideas? Let's find out.
Difficulties to start a new business during the pandemic
Starting a new business is a complex task. There are a lot of legal as well as product-related aspects that hinder a business.
While businesses are adopting online platforms, physical business still makes up for the considerable chunk of revenue. One of the common issues faced by businesses during the pandemic is the lack of favorable conduction to carry on physical business. This is true for new businesses as well.
Read: How to Test and Validate Your Startup Idea?
In addition to that, the lockdown in certain countries has caused product sourcing issues. Lack of external funds and worker shortage are also some other aspects that are working as a constraint to start a business during the pandemic.
However, the scenario is changing. As the world is coming to terms with new normal, businesses are finding workarounds to their daily processes. New opportunities are showing up regardless of the situation. Let's look at some of them.
Small businesses ideas during the pandemic
Online Reseller
One of the paradigm shifts has been the move of businesses from localized stores to online platforms. In the context of Bangladesh, the change has been even more apparent. Out of the total 7000 Crore BDT of commercial transactions, 1000 Crore BDT was through e-commerce in the FY 2019-20. This says a lot about the potential of the sector as an effective alternative to the traditional business models.
Online reselling has had the gross chunk in the F-commerce share. With appropriate patronage, the sector can move further forward.
Read Women Loans in Bangladesh: Best Schemes for Female Entrepreneurs
Social Media Services
The move of businesses to an online platform has opened new opportunities surrounding it. Most of the traditional retail businesses in Bangladesh are run by people with little knowledge of F commerce or digital platforms. As a result, there was an innate need for F-commerce and digital platform solutions that can cater to the growing urge of shifting business to online platforms.
In addition to these, the new startups require the help of social media specialists and digital marketers for the online promotion of their products and services. Whether it is digital marketing, marketplace creation or simply handling social media, there is a robust business opportunity for the individual as well as teams. And that is the focus of the next point.
Digital Consultation
Digital consultation is the online-based version of traditional consultation. With the pandemic in effect, the change in work and business conduction can work in favor of transforming consultation services.
Read:Late Blooming Billionaires: Story of successful people who started late in life
Consider the impact of Covid-19 on a field and get familiarized with the change management process. There are a lot of businesses waiting to make the jump to the online platform. It is now easier than ever to offer consultation as well as logistical and training for the shift to these businesses.
Graphic Design Agency
This one is stream-based and only applies to people with considerable graphics skills. While businesses shift to online, there arises the need for advertisement. In addition to adverts, there are various other types of graphical needs, like creation of logos, business cards, brochures, etc. Whether its office or businesses, the need for graphics designers are there irrespective of the sector.
This can be a great opportunity for the up-and-coming graphics designers. They can start a graphics design industry alone or by being part of a team. Those who are looking for zero investment business ideas can opt for the skill based startups. This service based business ventures can be a good way to utilize skills without considerable investments.
Read:Investment: What Factors to Consider before Investing Money?
App Development
Whether it is a small-scale food startup or big transportations service, the customers can reach the service providers through an efficient app.
A study conducted on American phone users found that over 90% of mobile phone users use their mobile time browsing apps. Though exact data are not available, the situation is somewhat similar for the Bangladeshi demographic as well. This is a wonderful scope for the app developers. With the app service industry expected to cross 800 billion USD in revenue by 2022, this is a golden opportunity to tap into the ecosystem.
The developers can focus on service integration for various business platforms. The shift of business to online platforms is opening up service needs that were not present previously. Apps can work as a great business and revenue generation source by addressing these needs.
Read Common Challenges faced by Startups in 2021
Virtual Tutoring
The paradigm shift is not noticeable in the service and business sector only. Its implication is seen in the educational sector as well, especially in the case of Bangladesh. As schools and other educational institutions are going through shutdowns, online learning has become a sort of new normal for the students.
Virtual tutoring can be a great option to utilize this shift. It can be premade courses on a specific subject topic or even live classes. Regardless of the means, the opportunity can be endless considering there is no boundary or limitation involved in teaching online.
Read:Investment Opportunities in Bangladesh amid Pandemic
Cloud Kitchen
Love cooking? Then now is the time to turn it into a profitable business. Like everything else, the pandemic has also shifted people's focus from eating out at restaurants to eating from the comfort and safety of their own homes. And that has increased the dependency on food delivery services like Pathao, Foodpanda, and Shohoz in Bangladesh.
The fortunate thing is in addition to restaurants, these delivery platforms also partner with home cooks to showcase their menu on their app. As a result, it's possible to build a robust cloud kitchen business from the comfort of the home. Culinary skills are all that’s needed to shine in this line.
Read Seed Fund Raising for Startups: Things to Know About
Virtual Medical consultation
While the country battles the impact of Covid-19, the need for general consultation for other diseases has not stopped. But many people are fearful of going out to chambers or hospitals due to the fear of the pandemic. Virtual medical consultations can be a great workaround in this regard.
Common and basic diagnostics can be done through verbal communication and checking the symptoms of the patient online. As a doctor, this can make way for added service generation in addition to normal duties.
Read:F-commerce in Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects
Final Thoughts
The overall impact of the pandemic has been negative on every aspect of life. However, that does not take away the opportunities it has presented. With the changing social interactions and processes, it may very well make way for innovative pandemic-friendly small business ideas not thought of before.
Covid-19 Antibody Test: What You Need to Know
Terms like antigen, antibody test, Covid-19 test, plasma, RTPCR, rapid test kit, ventilator, lockdown, social distance, etc., have become part of our daily word choice in this Covid-19 pandemic. While these words have become a part of daily life, people tend to get confused between the antibody test and the Covid test. Usually, the antibody test is done to check if the body has developed antibodies against certain diseases. Let's discuss some basic facts about the Corona Virus antibody test.
Basics of antibody
The human body produces antibodies to fight off the infection when it senses the presence of an external invader, such as a bacterium or virus. Antibodies are basically Y-shaped proteins and white blood cells produce them. This protein helps to fight against harmful germs and get cured.
Read: Long COVID Syndrome: Long Term Effects of COVID-19
IgM and IgG antibodies are produced in the body of an infected person who has normal functioning of the immune system, which can be detected by serologic tests or antibody tests. IgMs are usually formed within one to two weeks of infection, but these are lost very quickly. IgG antibodies, on the other hand, take about 6 weeks to form, but they last longer.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some Covid-19 patients may detect antibodies in the first week of infection. In other Covid-19 patients, it may take up to three weeks for antibodies to be produced against the coronavirus.
That is why the patient should wait up to three weeks after the symptoms to test for the Covid-19 antibody. Further, the CDC report states that testing for antibodies three weeks after coronavirus infection can detect both IgM and IgG antibodies.
Read: COVID-19 Third Wave: Things We Need to Know
What is the antibody taste for Covid-19?
Covid-19 antibody test, which is also known as serology test, is a way to measure if someone had been infected with coronavirus in the past. However, the antibody test cannot identify if someone is currently infected or not. To check the present condition, one should do the antigen test diagnostic test for Covid-19.
However, a positive antibody test will not ensure that the person will not get infected again. If someone has an antibody in the body, it is very difficult to say how long the antibodies against coronavirus will last. According to the CDC's website, it is still rare for Covid-19 to be infected twice, but people are also getting infected twice or more than that. However, the CDC suggests that coronavirus antibodies may provide immunity, at least in the short term. So, after a certain period, the antibody test may not show a positive result.
Read: How Long Will Your COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccination Protection Last?
A recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine suggests that coronavirus antibodies may not provide protection in the long run. The researchers found that antibody levels decreased within two to three months of curing Covid-19, especially in asymptomatic Covid-19 patients. However, it was a small study, analyzing only 36 symptomatic cases and the same number of asymptomatic cases. So, an antibody test after two to three months may not locate the antibody in the body.
What is the purpose of Covid-19 antibody testing?
Antibody testing lets the researchers and doctors know how the body reacts to the virus as well as collect the symptoms. Furthermore, it also gives data on the frequency of the infection. However, the antibody test should not be done to decide if anyone can take the vaccine or not.
Who is eligible for the Corona Virus antibody test?
If someone is infected with Covid, the antibody may take time to build in the body. So, testing on the most recent patient will not be wise. If someone is just diagnosed with corona or treated in two to three weeks, it will give positive results on an antibody test. So, it is suggested that antibody tests can be done four to six after being cured.
Read: Coronavirus: How to get your smell and taste back after COVID-19?
How to do the Covid-19 antibody test?
This test is very easy to do by taking a few drops of blood from the tip of the finger. Moreover, it does not take much time; the test can be done in 15 minutes. Nevertheless, this test is to be used in different countries to find people who are free of infection, and those people can be out of the house. Antibody tests will be very effective, especially for health workers. But making the test kit is not so easy. The US FDA approved antibody tests last year.
Types of antibody test
So far, two types of antibody tests are available, binding and neutralizing antibody tests. The binding test uses the purified proteins of SARS-CoV-2. In this method, individual antibody types, like IgG, IgM, and IgA can be identified. Hence, SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies can be found at the same time through the binding antibody detection system.
Read: What we know about Covid-19 booster shots
On the other hand, the neutralizing antibody detection tests find the functional ability of antibodies. These kinds of the test monitor the inhibition of viral growth in the cell when raised with plasma or serum. The neutralizing antibody is categorized into three types, virus neutralization tests (VNT), Pseudovirus neutralization tests (pVNT), and Competitive neutralization tests.
Antibody test result
Usually, the Covid-19 test result is explained in four ways. If there is a positive IgM, then the patient may be considered infected at the moment; if there is only IgG, then it may be that he is recovering from the infection, and it is possible that he will not be infected in the future. If both are positive, it can be assumed that the patient is at the end of the infection. And if none shows up, the patient is not infected. Sadly, this last statement is not always correct. It may be that the antigen used in this test does not recognize the patient's antibodies. Again, the patient may have been infected, but not enough time to make antibodies.
Read Liquid Medical Oxygen and Covid-19 Treatment: Things we need to know
Is the coronavirus antibody test easy?
The health care workers have a mixed response to this question. Even if the kit works, there is a possibility of false-positive and false-negative results in the COVID-19 antibody test. If a small number of people in the population (say 4.5%) are infected, there is a 50% chance that they will actually be positive. On the other hand, if 30% of the people are infected, and positive results are obtained, in 90% of the cases, it will be true. It was also thought that people who had been infected would have enough antibodies in their blood to fight the virus if they were given to an infected patient.
Read How to heal lungs naturally and improve breathing after recovering from COVID-19?
Covid in Bangladesh: daily cases fall below 1,000 after 4 months
Covid-19 in Bangladesh claimed 25 more lives, the lowest in four months, and infected 818 in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
The number of single-day Covid cases was recorded below 1,000 in May 17 last, logging 698 cases.
The new cases were detected after testing 17,818 samples slightly raising the daily case positivity rate to 4.59 percent from Friday’s 4.54 percent, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Five girl students contract Covid in Thakurgaon school
Bangladesh saw its highest-ever 16,230 daily Covid cases on July 28.
The new numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 27,393 while the caseload mounted to 1,550,371.
Meanwhile, the fatality rate increased slightly to 1.77 percent from yesterday’s 1.76 percent.
On Thursday, the country recorded the lowest Covid deaths of 24 since May 15 when the country saw 22 single-day deaths.
Besides, the recovery rate increased slightly to 97.41 per cent on Friday with the recovery of 965 patients during the 24-hour period.
So far, 1,510,167 people have recovered from the deadly virus infections, the DGHS added.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the daily case positivity rate remaining at 5 percent or below for 14 days is considered safe for mass unlocking.
Read: Global Covid cases top 231 million
However, Bangladesh eased its lockdown restrictions on August 11, even though public health experts had warned of Delta variant spread.
Hasina places six proposals before world to fight Covid
Terming Covid-19 a common enemy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has placed six proposals before the global leaders to fight the deadly virus with fresh, inclusive and effective ideas.
“Sadly though, this malaise (Covid-19) seems to be here for a while, and therefore, as we had in the past, must come forth with fresh, inclusive, and global ideas to fight this common enemy. Let me highlight a few specific issues in this regard,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while delivering her speech in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) debate at the UN Headquarters on Friday.
Address vaccine inequality
In her first proposal, Hasina said for a Covid-free world, “We must ensure universal and affordable access to vaccines for people across the world.”
In the last UNGA, Hasina said, she called for treating Covid-19 vaccines as a ‘global public good.’ This was echoed by many other leaders. “Yet these calls remain largely unheeded. Instead, we’ve seen growing ‘vaccines divides’ between the rich and the poor nations.”
According to the World Bank, she said, 84 percent of vaccine doses have so far gone to people in high and upper middle-income countries, while the low-income countries received less than 1 percent.
“This vaccine inequality must be urgently addressed. We cannot chart out a sustainable recovery and be safe by leaving millions behind,” she said.
She also said immediate transfer of vaccine technologies could be a means to ensure vaccine equity. Bangladesh is ready to produce vaccines in mass scale if technical know-how is shared with us and patent waiver is granted.
Covid’s disproportionate impacts
In the second proposal, she said the pandemic has disproportionately impacted the climate vulnerable countries. “Unless there are immediate measures, the devastating impacts of climate change will be irreversible. No country, rich or poor, is immune to the destructive effects. We, therefore, call upon the rich and industrialised countries to cut emissions, compensate for the loss and damage, and ensure adequate financing and technology transfer for adaptation and resilience building.”
She said as the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the Vulnerable Twenty Group of Ministers of Finance, Bangladesh has launched the “Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan – Decade 2030” outlining a transformative agenda from climate vulnerability to climate prosperity.
She said the upcoming COP-26 Summit in Glasgow provides a good opportunity to rally support for such new and inclusive ideas. “Let us not miss out on this opportunity.”
Read: PM joins opening session of 76th UNGA general debate