This is going to be a really short post. This is to raise a little bit of awareness among the Bangladeshis regarding the corona situation. As a Doctor I feel this is important I inform you guys where we're headed, just because of a few ignorant people.
You guys already know the regular measures....wear masks...wash hands....sneeze or cough into your elbows etc etc. So I'm not going to bore you guys with these information again.
A few incidents prompted me to write this post. I was shocked to see the ignorance of some Bangladeshi people. The mentality disappointed me.
Incident 1
A young man in his 40s, admitted to Suhrawardi Medical, Medicine unit with the symptoms of flu and pneumonia. He was confirmed to have the SARS-CoV 2 (aka the coronavirus). While the medical team was in intense discussions with senior doctors and doctors from the ICDDRB, the patient packed up his bags and escaped hospital along with his wife.
I will not say which district he was from, but I will say this much : he was not from Dhaka and doesn't live in Dhaka. He will definitely be travelling back to his village and use local transport, aka Bus, overcrowded public bus. Imagine how many people he has infected already by the time you finish reading this post.
Incident 2
A young man, back from Singapore was put under home quarantine after being suspected to have corona, just a safety measure. The next day he was out on his bike roaming his entire community, meeting people, visiting houses etc.
I am absolutely furious at these stupid incidences! These are just two examples and I can guarantee there are many more such incidences.
What we need to realize is....
....Bangladesh medical sector does not have the capability to handle a Corona outbreak if it happens in Bangladesh! There you go! I've said it! Trust me this is from personal experience from working as a doctor in Hospitals in Bangladesh. Bangladesh medical sector CAN NOT handle an outbreak as severe as corona and the mortality (i.e. death rate) is going to be extremely high, should an outbreak occur. The government has not taken sufficient steps to protect the population regardless of what they say in the media. The corona outbreak occured at least over 2 months ago and while china has built a 1000 bed hospital in 6 days, Bangladesh has ONLY ONE lab in the entire country that can detect coronavirus.
If you believe what is being told to you in the media, that we don't need to panic, then you're being foolish. This is an absolute joke and as a Doctor, I assure you this is not the case. We must be a bit more worried and take this thing seriously!
Final words...
....please, take this corona situation more seriously guys. Make people around you aware and ask them to take necessary precautions! If you see someone not washing hands properly or not maintaining the hygiene they should be maintaining, be it your family member or a friend, make them aware. If you someone not wearing a mask, urge them to. Take a step yourself, NOW! Make your stand! Don't rely on the government to protect you from the corona. We, as a population need to stop acting stupid and make wise decisions regarding the our own safety and the safety of the people around us.
Young children, older people and people with Diabetes are at an increased risk of a more severe form of the disease. So if you have such members in your family and friends, take necessary steps for their protection.
Follow the instructions from WHO on reducing the spread of the virus. These are information easily available on the internet, so I'm not including those in my post.
Stay safe, stay well!