Society
Nowadays Covid-19 virus makes the people all over the world helpless irrespective of poor, rich, cast, creed, religion and nation etc. This virus erupted about six months back in China and now it is spreading its fear everywhere in the world. The big nations of the world are fighting vigorously with this virus. But still now the invention of vaccine and medicine is yet to be offing. Often we get the news from electronic and print media that the invention of vaccine and medicine of covid-19 is a matter of time only. But we do not know when the time will come and presently we are not getting any concrete solution of this problem. By this time, the people of this world are passing very grave situation. We in Bangladesh are not out of this situation. Now each and every time we are facing this crisis. People get panicked and what they will do if covid-19 attacks them is a very big question to everyone. Because many people could not get admitted into the hospitals as the situation of the different hospitals is not patient friendly. Everybody of the hospital authority is in fear and panicked situation. For that reason patients may not get the standard treatment. Doctors, nurses, medical technicians are in fear though they take precautionary measures and are equipped with PPE and other things. Still then, within a couple of months, a number of doctors and other medical professionals died of covid-19 virus. This is the situation of the front liners. Doctors and other medical professionals pass their time with great anxiety and the anxiousness of common people is much more than doctors. General panic intruded into the people's mind. For fear and anxiety people buy extra medicines, oxygen cylinder, food items and other day to day needs. The supply chain in our country is still functioning well. For that reason people get their needs at the shops and bazars. But another symptom is coming to the surface and that is the income of the common people decreases quickly as many of them are now passing their days without income and work. They feel severe shortages of food and medicines in their grips. If this situation continues indefinite time, the condition of the common people might turn serious and grave.
Different stories about the treatment of covid-19 have already been spread. In the social media many more ways and means of herbal treatment of covid-19 have been published. People shared it with each other though there is no concrete proof of these ways and means of herbal treatment of covid-19. But our people are very much fond of about these stories. Many of us take hard tea with lemon and ginger juice three to four times a day. Even some of us inhale steam of hot water 3-4 times a day. Experiences say people do believe in these ways and means of treatment and they have got the usefulness of utility of this treatment. All these activities of the people are the outcome of general fear and panic of covid-19. As there is no specific medicine of covid-19, people feel helpless and they try to leave no stone unturned for the treatment of this pandemic virus. Gradually this panic/ fear are turning to be a general phobia.
In this time we see many people are going to different hospitals with their near and dear for the treatment of different diseases irrespective of covid-19 and other diseases. But what we see that those helpless people are not getting proper attention in many cases and some of them are refused to be admitted into the hospitals. The authority told them to come to the hospital after doing covid-19 test. This is a very big hassle to the general public. Corona testing has become a very big problem to the general public. People keep standing on the line hours after hours for corona test. And those who are not affected might have good chances to be infected in corona standing on the testing queue or line.
When corona started in the country students of the dormitories of the different educational institutions started leaving dormitories out of fear to be infected in corona. Even they started leaving much earlier of the declaration of general holiday/lock down. People got panicked and a serious psychological problem exposed in communities of many places of the country. For rumors, people are buying medicines without doctor's advice. Even some are buying oxygen cylinders. This situation exposes serious lacking of coordination in many areas of health sector. The high-ups of the Health directorate talk on corona issue not harmonious to each other views. This also creates ambiguity and makes things complex. In this situation there created some fake corona negative certificate by some evil person and it has become a serious problem for the country. In this regard, some incidents may be mentioned here that two groups of people went to China and Italy from Bangladesh with corona negative certificates. But in the airport all of them were screened out and the authorities of those places got positive symptom of corona in many of them. For that reason they could not enter those countries and eventually they had to come back to Bangladesh. All these news came to the media and in this consequence a serious image problem created which is not good for the country.
After ending of general holiday everything does not go normal. The intensity of covid-19 infection has increased. The public transport is ready to carry people maintaining health instruction. But it is surprising that people are not that much interested to use these transports. Even the Biman and private airlines canceled many scheduled flight for lack of passengers. The most busy railway corridor the Dhaka to Chattagram route is now facing shortages of passengers. And for that reason the railway authority cancelled the most luxurious and popular service, The 'Sonar Bangla' Train recently. The inter district long route luxury bus service also faces shortages of passengers. For that reason the private and public transport company are going with heavy monetary loses.
Still now, in Dhaka city, maids are not allowed in many residential areas for homestead work as fear has seized the people of being chances to be affected by corona virus. This creates serious problem in the both sides. The housewives are not getting proper support to manage their homestead work. On the other side maids are in stake for their daily necessities and a large number of maids are not getting their normal salary from their workplace.
Another phenomenon of this consequence is the situation of newspaper industry. This industry is now on the verge of decadency. It is reported that the circulation of different newspapers and periodicals get reduced. These industries are not getting expected advertisements form the big companies and industries as all of them running with loses. Now people are not interested to subscribe newspapers for fear of corona. That is why in many areas of the capital the hawkers of newspapers are not allowed to enter the residential buildings for delivering newspapers. At the outset of corona in our country it was a fear or panic to the common people now it has turned as big phobia. If such condition continues for indefinite time, maybe this phobia will continue long time.
Corona has been detected in our country in the early days of the month of March. General holidays started since 26th of March and ended 31st of May. Government is trying its best to address the crisis. Regarding corona we do not have any past experience in our life time. Even we did not have any sort of pandemic situation in last 50 years. For that reason rumors are spreading about indigenous methods of different ways and means of the treatment. But those are not scientifically proved path. Those are speculations only. In these consequences, at the outset of corona, people got panicked and over the days corona has turned as strong phobia to the people also. Now the corona issue clutched the total mind of the people. So in this special situation, we should take it as experience of our lives until the invention of the vaccine and proper medicine.
Dr. Syed Nesar Ahmad Rumy, Babar Road, Mohmmadpur, Dhaka
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