85% of hospitalised Covid patients are unvaccinated: Health Minister
80% of the patients in the country are affected by the omicron variant, he says
Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said 85% of hospitalised patients are not vaccinated against Covid-19.
"Very few of those who have been vaccinated are being hospitalised," he said while addressing a virtual discussion on private hospitals' preparation to combat Covid-19 Tuesday (25 January) arranged by Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA).
The health minister said that although the number of Covid patients has increased across the country, the number of hospitalised patients and deaths are also decreasing.
However, on the issue of isolation policy revising, the minister said, "Center for Disease Control (CDC) has changed the isolation policy from five days to seven days. This could be implemented in our country as well."
"Even if Omicron is mild, if the number of infected people surges, the death will also increase," he added.
The minister said that 80% of the Covid patients in the country are affected by the omicron variant.
Zahid Maleque also said government hospitals, as well as private hospitals, have played an important role in countering the first and second waves of the pandemic.
"As in the past, private hospitals need to work together to tackle the current third wave," said the minister.
BPMCA President MA Mobin Khan said although the number of cases has increased dramatically across the country, the omicron variant is not as alarming as the delta variant.
State Minister for Relief and Disaster Management Dr Enamur Rahman and Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General Prof Dr ABM Khurshid Alam also spoke at the meeting.
