Taking Omicron lightly may wreak havoc: Zahid Maleque

Hours after the country logged more than 16,000 Covid cases and 18 deaths on Tuesday, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has warned that the violation of health guidelines taking the Omicron variant of coronavirus lightly and considering it to be less dangerous may cause great damage.

"The government has issued instructions to contain the surge in Covid-19 cases. If people don’t cooperate, it won’t be successful," the minister was quoted as saying, by UNB.

He made the remarks at a meeting on the preparedness of private hospitals to tackle worsening Covid situation.

Zahid Maleque asked the private hospitals to get ready for dealing with the situation ahead.

People’s reckless movement led to the rise in infections, he said, adding that 70-80 per cent of corona patients in the country are now infected with Omicron, which is alarming.

"We've dealt with the Delta variant successfully even though we had so many limitations even though there was not enough oxygen supply. There was a lack of beds in the hospitals as well as experienced health workers, including doctors and nurses."

The minister went on saying, "But after fighting the second wave of the coronavirus, our confidence and courage have increased. We’ve the capability to deal with any further wave now.”

Zahid Maleque said the number of Covid-linked deaths had dropped to a zero level when the number of infections declined. "We had thought Covid-19 would go. But then too much confidence grew among our people. They roamed without wearing masks, no one obeyed the hygiene rules. Even those who visited Cox's Bazar did not wear masks."

Besides, a lot of marriage ceremonies took place and thousands of people gathered in those events maintaining no social distancing and health protocols."

"We still see very few people wearing masks at the trade fair. Few people in markets are wearing masks. These are the reasons why the infections have increased," he added.