Insights Into the First Seven-months of COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Lessons Learned from a High-risk Country

Abstract

BackgroundSouth Asian countries including Bangladesh have been struggling to control the COVID-19 pandemic despite imposing months of lockdown and other public health measures. In-depth epidemiological information from these countries is lacking. From the perspective of Bangladesh, this study aims at understanding the epidemiological features and gaps in public health preparedness and risk communication. MethodsThe study used publicly available data of seven months (8 March 2020–10 September 2020) from the respective health departments of Bangladesh and Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre. Human mobility data were obtained from Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports. Spatial distribution maps were created using ArcGIS Desktop. Descriptive statistics was used to report the incidence, case fatality rates (CFR), and trend analysis. Results Despite nationwide lockdown, an increase in human mobility linked to specific public events was observed. During this period, a total of 47,153 cases and 650 deaths were reported. As lockdown ended, the incidence rate was increased by around 50% within a week. In seven months, about 350,000 cases were identified with a CFR of 1.4%. Males were disproportionately affected in terms of infection (71%) and death (77%) than females. The CFR for males was higher than females (1.4% versus 1.11%). Over 50% of infected cases were reported among young adults (20-40-year age group). Trends of the cumulative incidence were slower in South Asia with lower mortality compared to the EU and USA. As of 10 September 2020, over 20,000 frontline health workers were affected, and more than 2100 unofficial deaths were reported. Reduced testing capacity was observed as compared to other countries. Although a downward trend in laboratory test positive percentage was seen, the number of new deaths per day remained largely unchanged. ConclusionWe identified critical gaps in public health preparedness and risk communication in battling COVID-19 pandemic. We believe our findings, observations and recommendations will function as a valuable resource to facilitate better public health decisions for managing current and future infectious disease like COVID-19 in the settings of developing countries.

COVID-19 Transmission due to Mass Mobility Before and After the Largest Festival in Bangladesh: An Epidemiologic Study

“…In their evaluation, it was observed that there was increased human mobility during the Eid festivals and also during those months, there was a sharp rise in the number of confirmed cases in the peripheral region of Bangladesh. 40 …”

Challenges in Preventive Practices and Risk Communication towards COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh

“…In addition, although the prevalence of mask use has improved over the year, a substantial number of people are still wearing them inappropriately [7,8]. A considerable number of people also had inadequate access to protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer [9,10]. Furthermore, barriers to healthcare, health safety, and health promotion measures have disproportionately impacted persons with disabilities during COVID-19 in Bangladesh, making them a vulnerable group to the pandemic's consequences [11][12][13].…”

“…Furthermore, different socioeconomic groups in Bangladesh have different levels of understanding of generalized information on COVID-19 precautions. Some people are having difficulty understanding terms such as "social distance" and "quarantine," which do not have a proper translation in the native language [10,17]. Misconception on COVID-19 has been another predominant challenge in the risk communication strategies around the world.…”

Challenges in Preventive Practices and Risk Communication Towards COVID-19: A Cross-sectional Study in Bangladesh

“…A considerable number of people also had inadequate access to protective equipment such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer etc. [8,9]. Furthermore, different socioeconomic groups in Bangladesh have different levels of understanding of generalized information on COVID-19 precautions.…”

“…Furthermore, different socioeconomic groups in Bangladesh have different levels of understanding of generalized information on COVID-19 precautions. Some people are having di culty understanding terms such as "social distance" and "quarantine," which do not have a proper translation in the native language [9,10]. Moreover, the weakness in risk communication campaigns became apparent when about 200 online rumors related to COVID-19 spread across the country [11].…”