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      Addressing economic and health challenges of COVID‐19 in Bangladesh: Preparation and response

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      1 , 2 , , 2 , 3
      Journal of Public Affairs
      John Wiley and Sons Inc.

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          Abstract

          This article mainly explores the economic and health challenges faced by Bangladesh amid COVID‐19 and the policies taken by the government of Bangladesh to tackle the economic and health issues. Bangladesh is ranked as one of the worst‐hit countries in terms of total corona infections. Affecting the social, economic, and health sectors of the country, COVID‐19 pandemic has dampened the overall economic well‐being and thus GDP growth along with skyrocketing poverty, inequality, and unemployment nationwide. To tackle these crises, the government has initiated effective policy measures which, in turn, enhanced the recovery rate of COVID‐19 positive patients and strengthened the recovery of economic indicators. Therefore, this article suggests other hard‐hit COVID‐19 affected countries following the recovery model of Bangladesh to encounter the economic and health challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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          Effects of COVID 19 pandemic in daily life

          Dear Editor, COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has affected day to day life and is slowing down the global economy. This pandemic has affected thousands of peoples, who are either sick or are being killed due to the spread of this disease. The most common symptoms of this viral infection are fever, cold, cough, bone pain and breathing problems, and ultimately leading to pneumonia. This, being a new viral disease affecting humans for the first time, vaccines are not yet available. Thus, the emphasis is on taking extensive precautions like extensive hygiene protocol (e.g., regularly washing of hands, avoidance of face to face interaction etc.), social distancing and wearing of masks etc. This virus is spreading exponentially region wise. Countries are banning gatherings of people to the spread and break the exponential curve 1 , 2 . Many countries are locking their population and enforcing strict quarantine to control the spread of the havoc of this highly communicable disease. COVID-19 has rapidly affected our day to day life, businesses, disrupted the world trade and movements. Identification of the disease at an early stage is vital to control the spread of the virus because it very rapidly spreads from person to person. Most of the countries have slowed down their manufacturing of the products 3 , 4 . The various industries and sectors are affected by the cause of this disease; these include the pharmaceuticals industry, solar power sector, tourism, Information and electronics industry. This virus creates significant knock-on effects on the daily life of citizens as well as about the global economy. Presently the impacts of COVID-19 in daily life are extensive and have far reaching consequences. These can be divided into various categories: A) Healthcare • Challenges in the diagnosis, quarantine and treatment of suspected or confirmed cases • High burden of the functioning of the existing medical system • Patients with other disease and health problems are getting neglected • Overload on doctors and other healthcare professionals, who are at a very high risk • Overloading of medical shops • Requirement for high protection • Disruption of medical supply chain B) Economic • Slowing of the manufacturing of essential goods • Disrupt the supply chain of products • Losses in national and international business • Poor cash flow in the market • Significant slowing down in the revenue growth C) Social • Service sector is not being able to provide their proper service • Cancellation or postponement of large-scale sports and tournaments • Avoiding the national and international travelling and cancellation of services • Disruption of celebration of cultural, religious and festive events • Undue stress among the population • Social distancing with our peers and family members • Closure of the hotels, restaurants and religious places • Closure of places for entertainment like movie and play theatres, sports clubs, gymnasiums, swimming pools etc. • Postponement of examinations This COVID-19 has affected the sources of supply and effects the global economy. There are restrictions of travelling from one country to another country. During travelling, numbers of cases are identified positive when tested, especially when they are taking international visits 5 . All governments, health organisations and other authorities are continuously focusing on identifying the cases affected by the COVID-19. Healthcare professional face lot of difficulties in maintaining the quality of healthcare in these days. Declaration of Competing Interest None
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            COVID-19 and Bangladesh: Challenges and How to Address Them

            As the coronavirus outbreak quickly surges worldwide, many countries are adopting non-therapeutic preventive measures, which include travel bans, remote office activities, country lockdown, and most importantly, social distancing. However, these measures face challenges in Bangladesh, a lower-middle-income economy with one of the world's densest populations. Social distancing is difficult in many areas of the country, and with the minimal resources the country has, it would be extremely challenging to implement the mitigation measures. Mobile sanitization facilities and temporary quarantine sites and healthcare facilities could help mitigate the impact of the pandemic at a local level. A prompt, supportive, and empathic collaboration between the Government, citizens, and health experts, along with international assistance, can enable the country to minimize the impact of the pandemic.
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              Impact of the societal response to COVID-19 on access to healthcare for non-COVID-19 health issues in slum communities of Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan: results of pre-COVID and COVID-19 lockdown stakeholder engagements

              Introduction With COVID-19, there is urgency for policymakers to understand and respond to the health needs of slum communities. Lockdowns for pandemic control have health, social and economic consequences. We consider access to healthcare before and during COVID-19 with those working and living in slum communities. Methods In seven slums in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan, we explored stakeholder perspectives and experiences of healthcare access for non-COVID-19 conditions in two periods: pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 lockdowns. Results Between March 2018 and May 2020, we engaged with 860 community leaders, residents, health workers and local authority representatives. Perceived common illnesses in all sites included respiratory, gastric, waterborne and mosquitoborne illnesses and hypertension. Pre-COVID, stakeholders described various preventive, diagnostic and treatment services, including well-used antenatal and immunisation programmes and some screening for hypertension, tuberculosis, HIV and vectorborne disease. In all sites, pharmacists and patent medicine vendors were key providers of treatment and advice for minor illnesses. Mental health services and those addressing gender-based violence were perceived to be limited or unavailable. With COVID-19, a reduction in access to healthcare services was reported in all sites, including preventive services. Cost of healthcare increased while household income reduced. Residents had difficulty reaching healthcare facilities. Fear of being diagnosed with COVID-19 discouraged healthcare seeking. Alleviators included provision of healthcare by phone, pharmacists/drug vendors extending credit and residents receiving philanthropic or government support; these were inconsistent and inadequate. Conclusion Slum residents’ ability to seek healthcare for non-COVID-19 conditions has been reduced during lockdowns. To encourage healthcare seeking, clear communication is needed about what is available and whether infection control is in place. Policymakers need to ensure that costs do not escalate and unfairly disadvantage slum communities. Remote consulting to reduce face-to-face contact and provision of mental health and gender-based violence services should be considered.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                bezon.kumar3@gmail.com , bezon.econ@rub.ac.bd
                susmitadeypinky00191@gmail.com
                Journal
                J Public Aff
                J Public Aff
                10.1002/(ISSN)1479-1854
                PA
                Journal of Public Affairs
                John Wiley and Sons Inc. (Hoboken )
                1472-3891
                1479-1854
                18 November 2020
                : e2556
                Affiliations
                [ 1 ] Department of Economics Rabindra University, Bangladesh Shahjadpur Sirajganj Bangladesh
                [ 2 ] BK School of Research Shahjadpur Sirajganj Bangladesh
                [ 3 ] Chittagong Medical College Chittagong Bangladesh
                Author notes
                [*] [* ] Correspondence

                Bezon Kumar, Department of Economics, Rabindra University, Bangladesh, Shahjadpur, Sirajganj‐6770, Bangladesh. Email: bezon.kumar3@ 123456gmail.com

                Author information
                https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4489-431X
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6832-2976
                Article
                PA2556
                10.1002/pa.2556
                7744919
                33349743
                88d12241-b073-455e-be69-a2c80e480c53
                © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

                This article is being made freely available through PubMed Central as part of the COVID-19 public health emergency response. It can be used for unrestricted research re-use and analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source, for the duration of the public health emergency.

                History
                : 11 September 2020
                : 17 September 2020
                : 09 November 2020
                Page count
                Figures: 6, Tables: 3, Pages: 8, Words: 4955
                Categories
                Academic Paper
                Academic Papers
                Custom metadata
                2.0
                corrected-proof
                Converter:WILEY_ML3GV2_TO_JATSPMC version:5.9.5 mode:remove_FC converted:17.12.2020

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