Bangladesh’s measures in COVID-19 battle disappoint Chinese experts

A Chinese team of experts has expressed deep concern over the public awareness about COVID-19 and the medical treatment of the disease in Bangladesh.

They will forward four reports recommending how to combat the virus effectively.

The 10-strong team visiting Bangladesh to assist in combating the pandemic presented their observations to the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Bangladesh or DCAB in a virtual interaction at the end of the two-week trip on Saturday.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Hualong Yan, Deputy Chief of Mission at Chinese Embassy in Dhaka, suggested that Bangladesh should impose the lockdowns more 'strictly' and 'scientifically'.

“The spread of coronavirus is yet to reach its peak in Bangladesh and it’s difficult to say when it would… the general people are very ignorant. This has hugely disappointed the team from China,” he added.

Referring to Bangladesh’s low-rate of sample testing, he said, “We spoke to doctors and other medical service providers around the country, including in Chattogram and Sylhet, who said many places outside Dhaka have no lab. They await results after sending the samples to Dhaka.”

Representatives of several pharmaceutical companies are gathered near the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka in defiance of physical distancing rules amid the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

Haitang Liu and Shuming Xianyu, both members of the team that arrived on Jun 8, shared their views.

“Wuhan, where the infection originated, other Chinese cities and provinces where coronavirus spread have all limited the spread by imposing lockdown. It helped lower China’s infection rate and fatalities in comparison to many other countries,” said Xianyu.

She highlighted three methods to successfully fight off the virus: ‘treatment of the infected’, ‘preventing transmission’ and ‘securing those who have not been infected’.

The Chinese government successfully reduced the infection rate by imposing stringent lockdown measures across the country. The tally of coronavirus infections in Bangladesh surpassed China’s on Jun 13.

The Chinese team, however, also mentioned that Bangladesh’s doctors and health workers were working very hard despite being largely outnumbered by the number of infected.

LOCKDOWN RECOMMENDATIONS

The team will submit four reports to Bangladesh within a week containing recommendations on how Bangladesh can combat the coronavirus more effectively.

The team visited different hospitals and spoke to many government officials during their stay.

“They will meet the health minister on Monday before leaving the country. The recommendations will then be made and sent to the Bangladesh government through the embassy,” Deputy Chief of Mission Yan said.

Samples are stored inside a plastic bag at Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka’s Mirpur. These will be sent to a government-designated laboratory for testing. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

He agreed when asked whether the recommendations would contain stringent lockdown measures and referred to instances from China in response.

Also infection rates of different areas must be figured out to weigh the odds of the virus spreading in different factories in a move to salvage the economy.

“The good news is five Chinese companies are producing vaccines. Bangladesh will be near the top of the list to receive the vaccine once production is complete,” he added.