Government now calls for COVID-19 tests in greater number

The government on Saturday requested people to get tested for COVID-19 in greater number as the daily tests have dwindled since the beginning of the month.

Health Services additional director general Nasima Sultana in a routine online press briefing said that the declining daily tests raised many eyebrows and gave rise to questions.

‘Please every one of you having COVID-19 symptoms or who think they might have contracted it come and give sample,’ said Nasima.

‘Do not delay in getting tested,’ she said.

Health experts saw this development coming given the recent steps taken by the government — such as imposing fees on COVID-19 tests.

They said that the delay in test report delivery and the sufferings that people underwent in giving samples gradually made people reluctant for getting tested.

The last nail in the coffin came with the revelation of two government-authorised private laboratories issuing fake coronavirus certificates, they said.

‘There is no dearth of causes for the erosion of the public trust in the government health management,’ said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University virology professor Nazrul Islam.

‘Corruption is everywhere from purchasing testing kits to testing samples to building testing facilities,’ he said.

‘Corruption has torn the health sector apart,’ he said.

The Rapid Action Battalion has recently found Regent Hospital, a government-authorised COVID-19 testing facility, involved in issuing thousands of fake coronavirus certificates.

Another government-authorised facility, JKG Health Care, was too found issuing fake coronavorus test certificate after taking money for tests meant to have been free.

The matter came to light as more countries banned entry of people from Bangladesh after they were found positive for the novel coronavirus despite certified free of the disease by Bangladesh.

‘These are serious criminal offences and they caused the public trust to erode fast,’ said Nazrul.

The daily tests started declining at a time they were expected to rise because the government lifted lockdown restrictions and the spread of the virus gained a sustained speed over the past month.

The daily tests fell to 10,923 on Saturday from 14,650 at the beginning of the month, according to the Health Services.

In the 24 hours until 8:00am Saturday, the government collected 10,632 samples.

Public health expert Rashid-e-Mahbub said that a government test cost Tk 200 while a private one could cost up to Tk 5,000.  

‘The government says the fee is introduced to stop abuses of tests so that those really needing it get it,’ said Rashid.

This is a dangerous proposition after knowing that 80 per cent people may remain asymptomatic after contracting the novel coronavirus and they need no test, he said.

‘This is the need of the state to get as many people tested as possible. Most of the people do not need it,’ said Rashid.

Bangladesh announced its first COVID-19 case on March 8 but did not increase daily tests until about a month later.

In the press briefing that has been held daily ever since the first case was reported the government always insisted on people staying at home unless their situation really became severe.

The government press briefing always discouraged people from getting tested ‘unnecessarily’.

Immediately after the global pandemic broke out, the World Health Organisation said testing could be the only possible way to contain the new virus for which there was no remedy until now.

Many countries such as Germany conducted a million tests a week to break the transmission chain of the virus that was particularly dangerous when it infected elderly or sick people.

Rashid said that the government could go for serological tests to get an idea about the people so far infected to plan its next course of action such as enforcing lockdown restrictions or finding where it is needed.

Bangladesh reported 24.80 per cent infections among people tested in the 24 hours until Saturday morning, indicating a fast spread of the virus in the densely populated country, experts said.

Bangladesh introduced a Tk 200 fee for each test at government laboratories and Tk 3,500 for private laboratories.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net