National Committee negates cattle market in 4 places including Dhaka
National Advisory Committee on Covid-19 Prevention has recommended not setting up sacrificial animal markets in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Chittagong to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. They have asked for digital trading of animals. In other places, the committee has given its opinion in favor of setting up animal markets by following the prevention policy.
The recommendations were made in a press release signed by committee chairman Prof Mohammad Sahidullah and member secretary Professor Mirzadi Sebrina.
Regarding the sacrificial cattle market, the committee further said that the cattle market should be in an open field, where it is possible to maintain social distance and take adequate measures to prevent infection. Above fifty-year-old and sick people should be barred from going to the market, separate entrances and exits to the market, compulsory wearing of masks by all those coming to the market, slaughter of sacrificial animals at the designated place of the city corporation outside the city and encouraging sacrificing out of the house through online if possible.
Besides, the committee has suggested stopping travel from Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Chittagong to other places during the upcoming Eid holidays to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection.
Other recommendations of the committee include increasing the capacity of the laboratory rather than increasing the number of Covid-19 tests and the number of laboratories for quality improvement. It is possible to increase the number of tests in the laboratory with the help of auto-extraction machines. For this, skilled manpower from different levels has to be recruited in the laboratory. Later, if there is any problem in the test in any place, the problem has to be solved by identifying those places through mapping. The committee asked to reduce the time from giving samples to getting test results. This is because isolation and control are not possible if the test data arrives late.
The committee has advised the Drug Administration to allow antigen-based testing, which could lead to the immediate introduction of the Covid-19 test at the marginal level. The committee suggested that the sero-surveillance activities should be carried out institutionally, but not privately.
The committee also asked the RT PCR to arrange for the supply of test kits from multiple institutions instead of one, so as not to create a kit crisis. The committee has recommended a system to procure more advanced and affordable kits instead of similar test kits. .
Setting up separate units for treatment of Covid-19 infected and non-infected maternity mothers in different hospitals, easy testing of Covid-19 for the elderly, collection of samples from home if possible, proper quality control and purchase of high flow nasal canola at right price, reducing harassment of patients To reduce the number of vacant beds in the hospital, the committee has asked the Directorate of Health to display the information on the website of the hospital every day and display it in front of the hospital.
The committee welcomed the preparation of Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh. However, the committee said the vaccine must be prepared or discovered with the approval of the government, the BMRC and the Drug Administration and in accordance with international policy on vaccine preparation.