Social assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: Does faith-based approach matters?

This paper aimed to examine the role of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the distribution of social assistance (SA) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. The paper adopts a qualitative case-study approach to explore the best practices in the distribution of SA by five (5) organizations including FBOs, governmental organizations (GOs), Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), political groups, and private voluntary groups. In this study, 14 beneficiaries of SA were selected by stratified proportionate random sampling method, and five (5) key personnel were selected purposively based on their experiences in the management of SA distribution. The study found that "no-move, no touch" approach followed by FBOs is more likely to establish human rights and social justice and reduce the transmission of diseases. In contrast to the modern idea, which undermines the faith-based charity, the study proved that faith-based charity is gaining attraction as an effective approach combating global pandemic. The findings of this paper will be useful for policymakers, voluntary service workers, GO, and NGO workers to ensure the distribution of SA in a more productive and disciplined way during and after an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suicidal ideation among people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: prevalence and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Evidence from pandemic and pre-pandemic studies conducted globally indicates that people with disabilities (PWDs) have a higher risk for suicidality. However, none of these studies has assessed suicidality among PWDs in Bangladesh. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with suicidal ideation among PWDs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. METHOD: Using a snowball sampling technique, a cross-sectional survey was conducted from February to April 2021 among PWDs from six districts in the northern region of Bangladesh. Information related to sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, behavioural factors and suicidal ideation was collected. Chi-squared test and logistic regression were used to describe the data and explain the relationship of factors associated with suicidal ideation. RESULTS: The prevalence of COVID-19-related past-year suicidal ideation was 23.9%. The factors associated with suicidal ideation included: age above 35 years, being female, acquiring a disability later in life, lack of sleep and current substance use. In addition, higher education appeared to be a protective factor against suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted that PWDs had an increased risk of suicide; that is, one-fourth of them had past-year suicidal ideation. This may have been because of COVID-19-related restrictions and stressors. Thus, the government and policy makers need to pay more attention to developing effective suicide assessment, treatment and management strategies, especially for at-risk groups, to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

COVID-19 Vaccination: Willingness and practice in Bangladesh.

Motivation: Mass adult immunization for COVID-19, coupled with the urgency, is a challenge for any lower-middle-income country (LMIC) like Bangladesh. Our analysis focuses on demand-side constraints early in the vaccination campaign to help gauge vaccine acceptability and potential contributing factors. Identifying registration and compliance challenges early on will help ensure a seamless immunization programme. Purpose: We seek to identify subgroups who may need specific interventions by comparing willingness to be vaccinated and registration behaviour, and to understand how actual registration and take-up decisions compare between rural and urban slum regions. Approach and Methods: We use data from three surveys conducted between late January and early September 2021. The article includes a nationally representative survey on vaccine acceptability and a study on vaccination rollout behaviour in rural and urban slums. Findings: Willingness was not an issue in Bangladesh, but the weak link was getting individuals to register. Once they did, compliance was very high. When the information gap regarding registration was addressed by campaigning, registration and take-up increased. Confidence in public service delivery influenced favourable responses to mass immunization efforts. Women were falling behind initially in terms of both registration knowledge and completion. Online registration needed to be complemented with alternatives. Social networking was a vital source of information and encouragement. Policy implications: Communication strategies are necessary to inform the public at an early stage, which should provide information about registration eligibility and detailed registration instructions. Ensuring and sustaining service quality will also be beneficial. In LMICs like Bangladesh, low-tech intensive registration methods are required. Information campaigns about the registration procedure should specifically target rural communities and women. Community-based mechanisms may reduce transaction costs and increase confidence.

Bangladeshi women migrants amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Revisiting globalization, dependency and gendered precarity in South-South labour migration.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered unprecedented societal disruption and disproportionately affected global mobility dynamics. Within such a troubled and intensifying crisis, the intersection of migration and gender is even more unsettling. Since the pandemic outbreak, Bangladesh witnessed a colossal crisis among millions of Bangladeshi migrants working overseas-a considerable section of them are women. By highlighting the plight of the Bangladeshi women migrants in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, this study expands the emerging literature that addresses the nexus among migration, pandemic fallout and gendered labour. Redrawing our understanding of globalization from below, the study attempts to further advance the theoretical perspectives on the predicaments of globalization and gendered precarity in contract labour migration. The study argues that the focus on the power asymmetry between the host and sending countries remains too limited to provide a comprehensive understanding of how inequalities are reproduced and transformed. Instead, it suggests that the challenges and disadvantages women migrants endure are embedded in the asymmetries of deep-rooted economic and social structures in tandem with the systemic practice of otherness and exclusion.

Evacuation dilemmas of coastal households during cyclone Amphan and amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: a study of the Southwestern region of Bangladesh.

Cyclone Amphan battered the coastal communities in the southwestern part of Bangladesh in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. These coastal communities were experiencing such a situation for the first time and faced the dilemma of whether to stay at home and embrace the cyclone or be exposed to the COVID-19 virus in the cyclone shelters by evacuating. This article intends to explore individuals' decisions regarding whether to evacuate in response to cyclone Amphan and in light of the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, this study investigated evacuation behaviors among the households and explored the impacts of COVID-19 during the evacuation procedures. We conducted household surveys to collect primary information and undertook 378 samples for interviews at a precision level of 0.05 in fourteen villages. Despite the utmost effort of the government, the results demonstrated that 96.6% of people in the coastal area received a cyclone evacuation order before the cyclone's landfall, and only 42% of people followed the evacuation order. The majority of households chose to stay at home because of fear of COVID-19 exposure in the crowded shelters. Although half of the evacuees were housed in cyclone shelters, COVID-19 preventive measures were apparently not set in place. Thus, this study will assist in crafting future government policies to enhance disaster evacuation plans by providing insights from the pandemic that can inform disaster management plans in the Global South.

An Empirical Study on Factors Impacting the Adoption of Digital Technologies in Supply Chain Management and What Blockchain Technology Could Do for the Manufacturing Sector of Bangladesh

This paper employed an integrated model for examining behavioral intention to adopt blockchain technology in the supply chain management of manufacturing industries in Bangladesh. The proposed conceptual model was empirically tested using data collected from 189 supply chain managers working in manufacturing organizations in Bangladesh. The findings suggest that perceived usefulness, trading partners' pressure, and competitive pressure are the most important determinant of behavioral intention. © 2023 Taylor & Francis.

A cross-cultural analysis of ridesharing intentions and compliance with COVID-19 health guidelines: The roles of social trust, fear of COVID-19, and trust-in-God

Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft have been substantially affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on social capital theory, the current research investigates how social trust relates to three types of trust in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines and consumers' ridesharing intentions. Analyzing data from two economically and culturally distinct countries, the results suggest that social trust positively affects trust in platform companies' compliance with COVID-19 guidelines (TPC), but not (or to a lesser extent) trust in drivers' (TDC) and other riders (TRC) compliance with COVID-19 guidelines in both the United States and Bangladesh. Importantly, TPC, TDC, and TRC are positively related with consumers' ridesharing intentions in the United States but not in Bangladesh. Furthermore, the analysis reveals two counterintuitive moderating effects of fear of COVID-19 and trust in God. The results provide important insights on factors affecting the ridesharing industry in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they emphasize the importance of considering cultural context in understanding consumers' intentions to engage in the sharing economy. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Response, readiness and challenges of online teaching amid COVID-19 pandemic: the case of higher education in Bangladesh

Objective: Online education is a relatively new phenomenon in Bangladesh. Gathering data online during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines the response, readiness and challenges of online education in the Bangladeshi context. Method: Data were collected by applying qualitative approaches such as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with purposively selected students and teachers involved in online education at two public and three private universities. Results: The findings reveal an immediate response from some universities and late or no action from others in continuing education during the pandemic. Since teachers, students or the university administration were unprepared for such a situation, there was a shortage of or creation of initiatives, although a certain degree of success was noticed. Major challenges include the lack of appropriate technology, knowledge of technology use, teachers' inadequate skills in operating the system and motivating students, poor Internet facilities and high Internet costs, and absence of a calm environment at students' homes. Conclusion: Steps such as workshops for teacher development, improvement of technology and facilities, subsidies in Internet use, revisits to higher education and emergency education laws, and assistance from other professionals and institutions are proposed for consideration. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: A number of higher educational institutions (HEIs) worldwide have introduced online education, and have been continuing teaching–learning activities online from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. HEI teachers in developed countries have prior training and experience in conducting online education;however, several pedagogical, technical and management-related challenges have been identified. HEIs in Bangladesh do not have a specific policy regarding continuing education in an emergency. This is the first time that online education has been launched. What this study adds: This study explores how HEIs, particularly teachers, respond to continuing teaching–learning activities. It illustrates teachers' pedagogical, technical and management-related readiness necessary for online education. This study also identifies several challenges in continuing online teaching–learning activities in Bangladesh HEIs. © 2021 Australian Psychological Society.

The effects of misinformation on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Bangladesh

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the general population in Bangladesh and the role of misinformation in this process. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was conducted to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among ordinary citizens. In addition to demographic and vaccine-related information, a five-point Likert scale was used to measure vaccine-related misinformation beliefs and how to counter them. Chi-square tests were used to examine the relationship between demographic variables and vaccine acceptance. A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify vaccine hesitancy by different demographic groups. Nonparametric Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were performed to determine the significance of difference between demographic groups in terms of their vaccine-related misinformation beliefs. Finally, the total misinformation score was computed to examine the correlation between vaccine hesitancy and the total score. Findings: This study found that nearly half of the respondents were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccine, whereas more than one third of the participants were unsure about taking the vaccine. Demographic variables (e.g., gender, age and education) were found to be significantly related to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that respondents who were below 40 years of age, females and those who had lower education attainments had significantly higher odds of vaccine hesitancy. There were significant differences in participants' vaccine-related misinformation beliefs based on their demographic characteristics, particularly in the case of educational accomplishments. A highly significant negative correlation was found between total misinformation score and vaccine acceptance. Research limitations/implications: The survey was conducted online, and therefore, it automatically precluded non-internet users from completing the survey. Further, the number of participants from villages was relatively low. Overall, the results may not be representative of the entire population in Bangladesh. Practical implications: The findings of this paper could guide government agencies and policymakers in devising appropriate strategies to counter COVID-related misinformation to reduce the level of vaccine hesitancy in Bangladesh. Originality/value: To the authors' best knowledge, this study is the first to measure the level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the influence of misinformation in this process among the general public in Bangladesh. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The relationship between social media based teaching and academic performance during COVID-19

Purpose: The closure of educational institutions in the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global teaching and learning landscape. Face-to-face classroom activity has been shifted to online classroom activity. This study aims to investigate the effect of social media-based education on students' academic performance during the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This study analyzes the perceptions of 302 university-going students of Bangladesh using structural equation modeling. Findings: Results show that Facebook features, perceived usefulness and personal tutorial have a positive and significant relationship with the use of social media (USM). Furthermore, the USM has a positive and significant relationship with the academic performance of the university-going students of Bangladesh during the pandemic. Research limitations/implications: This research has considered the social media usage of university students during the pandemic for academic purposes. This study has not considered income group, technical literacy and device availability of the students. Therefore, the findings may not be generalized to all classes of society. Practical implications: This study validates that the USM can ensure good academic performance by engaging students through collaboration and attention. Originality/value: Diffusion of knowledge and interactive face-to-face learning procedures have faced a massive loss because of this COVID-19 pandemic. Easiness in the mode of teaching technique can be a precondition for its acceptance among the students. As the impact of social media on academic performance in this pandemic context has remained unexplained, this study is designed to focus on this emerging issue. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic among Bangladeshi youth: a web-based cross-sectional analysis.

AIM: This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward COVID-19 among youth in Bangladesh. SUBJECT AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 5 May to 25 May 2020. People aged between 18 and 35 years were approached via social media to complete an online questionnaire that consisted of socio-demographic information and KAP toward COVID-19. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Out of 707 survey participants, 57.1% were male, the majority were students (60.3%), aged 24-29 years (61.5%), having a bachelor's degree (57%), having family income 25,000-50,000 BDT (40.5%) and living in urban areas (64.4%). Participants gathered information on COVID-19 mostly through social media (70.4%). Overall, 61.2% had adequate knowledge with 78.9% having a positive attitudes toward COVID-19 and only 51.6% had good practices. Most (86.8%) of the participants were confident that COVID-19 will be successfully controlled and Bangladesh was handling the COVID-19 health crisis well (84.20%). Only 75.2% of participants always washed their hands with soap or hand-sanitizer, and 70.6% wore a mask when going outside the home. Factors associated with adequate knowledge were being female, having a master's degree and above, and living in an urban area (p < 0.05). Participants having adequate knowledge of COVID-19 had higher likelihood of positive attitudes (OR: 6.41, 95% CI = 2.34-25.56, p = 0.000) and good practices (OR: 8.93, 95% CI = 3.92-38.42, p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the need for tailored education programs for COVID-19 which incorporates consideration of associated factors to improve the level of public knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Sociodemographic, economic, physical, and mental health status of previously hospitalised patients with COVID-19 symptoms in Bangladesh: Protocol for a mixed-method study.

Introduction: Not much is known about the long-term consequences of COVID-19, popularly known as long COVID. This is particularly so in terms of patterns and clusters of symptoms over time, sociodemographic and economic characteristics of patients, and related clinical history. This is crucial for resource-constrained health systems such as Bangladesh to address long COVID as a forthcoming challenge. This protocol aims to investigate the consequences of COVID-19 over time for physical and mental health and how these are associated with demographic and socio-economic factors. Methods and analysis: This mixed-method study collected information on all patients with symptoms of COVID-19 admitted to and discharged after recovery from a COVID-19-dedicated hospital in Bangladesh (N = 942), from April to December 2020. The sources of data were admission records and discharge certificates from the hospital for clinical history, cross-sectional survey on physical and mental health (assessed by DASS21 scale)-related symptoms and socioeconomic changes after recovery, and qualitative in-depth interviews on experiences of COVID-19. Interviews were conducted over the phone. Quantitative analysis was done to estimate the prevalence of physical and mental health consequences of COVID-19 after recovery and the association with socio-economic and demographic information. The qualitative analysis was performed using a thematic analysis approach. Discussion: It is imperative to understand the post-COVID consequences and related health and non-health aspects to inform evidence-based policymaking, especially for resource-poor contexts such as Bangladesh. Given the dearth of evidence in this regard, the proposed study will contribute to bridging this knowledge gap. It is important to note that this study is one of the few which presents information on post-COVID-19 consequences in the context of low- and middle-income countries and the first in Bangladesh.

Building back better children's surgical services toward universal health coverage: Perspectives from Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Introduction: This article is part of the Research Topic 'Health Systems Recovery in the Context of COVID-19 and Protracted Conflict'. Children's surgical services are crucial, yet underappreciated, for children's health and must be sufficiently addressed to make and sustain progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). Despite their considerable burden and socioeconomic cost, surgical diseases have been relatively neglected in favor of communicable diseases living up to their inauspicious moniker: 'the neglected stepchild of global health'. This article aims to raise awareness around children's surgical diseases and offers perspectives from two prototypical LMICs on strengthening surgical services in the context of health systems recovery following the COVID-19 experience to make and sustain progress toward UHC. Approach: We used a focused literature review supplemented by the perspectives of local experts and the 6-components framework for surgical systems planning to present two case studies of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The lived experiences of the authors are used to describe the impact of COVID-19 on respective surgical systems and offer perspectives on building back the health system and recovering essential health services for sustainability and resilience. Findings: We found that limited high-level policy and planning instruments, an overburdened and under-resourced health and allied workforce, underdeveloped surgical infrastructure (from key utilities to essential medical products), lack of locally generated research, and the specter of prohibitively high out-of-pocket costs for children's surgery are common challenges in both countries that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: Continued chronic underinvestment and inattention to children's surgical diseases coupled with the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic threaten progress toward key global health objectives. Urgent attention and investment in the context of health systems recovery is needed from policy to practice levels to improve infrastructure; attract, retain and train the surgical and allied health workforce; and improve service delivery access with equity considerations to meet the 2030 Lancet Commission goals, and make and sustain progress toward UHC and the SDGs.

Outbreak of diarrheal diseases causes mortality in different geographical locations of Bangladesh during the 2021 COVID-19 era.

Objectives: Diarrhea is a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh. Of the different spectrums of diarrheal diseases, cholera occurs every year, causing outbreaks and epidemics following a biannual seasonal pattern. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalization for diarrheal diseases decreased in 2020 compared to the previous years. However, in 2021, massive outbreaks occurred in different geographical locations of the country. We described that an outbreak of diarrheal diseases causes mortality in different geographical locations in Bangladesh. Method: In this study, we present a report of diarrhea outbreaks that were reported in 2018-2021 in different parts of Bangladesh, and data have been captured from different sources such as print and electronic media as well as from a nationwide surveillance system. Results: Among these locations, districts of Barisal Division, Kishorganj, Noakhali, Gopalganj, Bandarban, and Chattogram were the major hotspots of the outbreaks where high morbidity due to acute watery diarrhea and even mortality, which is usually low in Bangladesh, were recorded. Conclusion: Early detection and prevention and strengthening of the surveillance system are needed to combat the diarrheal upsurge, take immediate control, and adopt preventive strategies.

Financing the SDGs: How Bangladesh May Reshape Its Strategies in the Post-COVID Era?

COVID-19 has acutely arrested the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Internal mobilization of resources got slimmed as the government's expenditure on health and social safety nets have increased. External sources are also constricted owing to the uncertainties over the cross-border investment and economic recovery process of the countries. A government study in 2017 projected that Bangladesh, on average, would need an additional USD 68.83 billion from internal sources and USD 11.03 billion from external sources since 2021 to accomplish its SDGs by 2030. Using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)forecasting techniques, this paper re-estimated future flows of all SDGs funding sources, e.g., fiscal revenues, private sector investment, non-government organizations (NGOs), public-private partnerships, foreign direct investments, and foreign grant still 2030 under the purview of the COVID-19. Revised allocation estimated by this study reveals that private investment and NGOs would need to contribute higher than the 2017 estimation during 2021-2025 while only private investment needs to be higher during 2026-2030.

Le COVID-19 a gravement freiné la réalisation des objectifs de développement durable (ODD). La mobilisation interne des ressources s'est amoindrie à mesure que les dépenses du gouvernement en matière de santé et de sécurité sociale ont augmenté. Les ressources externes sont également restreintes en raison des incertitudes liées aux investissements transfrontaliers et au processus de redressement économique des pays. Une étude menée par le gouvernement en 2017 prévoyait que le Bangladesh aurait besoin, en moyenne, de 68,83 milliards de dollars supplémentaires provenant de sources internes et de 11,03 milliards de dollars provenant de sources externes à partir de 2021 pour atteindre ses ODD d'ici 2030. À l'aide de modèles de prévision autorégressifs à retards échelonnés (ARDL), cette étude a réestimé les flux futurs de toutes les sources de financement des ODD, par exemple, les recettes fiscales, les investissements du secteur privé, les organisations non gouvernementales, les partenariats public-privé, les investissements directs étrangers et les subventions étrangères jusqu'à 2030, le tout dans le contexte de la COVID-19. Selon cette étude, qui a recalculé l'allocation nécessaire, le secteur privé et les organisations non gouvernementales devraient augmenter leur contribution par rapport à l'estimation de 2017 pour la période 2021-2025, tandis que seul l'investissement du secteur privé doit augmenter pendant la période 2026-2030.

Family Businesses and Their Transition to Industry 4.0: Human Resource Perspectives From Bangladesh

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is the new paradigm shift impacting businesses today. This study explores the state of Bangladeshi family businesses in adapting to I4.0 using a qualitative research methodology. Top management personnel were interviewed to capture their insights on transitioning to I4.0. The thematic analysis revealed four themes, current state of the businesses, challenges faced, pandemic impact on human resources, and future plans. Findings indicate high awareness and greater adoption of digital practices with COVID-19 acting as a catalyst. Although training is emphasized, there is a lack of focus on both career and general counselling, which may prove to be detrimental in the future. The study takes a resource-based view to find the bundle of resources acting as conditions for the family firms to evolve into the I4.0, thereby making a practical contribution to understanding the role of family businesses in implementing I4.0 policies to enrich their human resource competencies and leverage the benefits of I4.0.

Bayesian Hierarchical Spatial Modeling of COVID-19 Cases in Bangladesh

This research aimed to investigate the spatial autocorrelation and heterogeneity throughout Bangladesh's 64 districts. Moran I and Geary C are used to measure spatial autocorrelation. Different conventional models, such as Poisson-Gamma and Poisson-Lognormal, and spatial models, such as Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) Model, Convolution Model, and modified CAR Model, have been employed to detect the spatial heterogeneity. Bayesian hierarchical methods via Gibbs sampling are used to implement these models. The best model is selected using the Deviance Information Criterion. Results revealed Dhaka has the highest relative risk due to the city's high population density and growth rate. This study identifies which district has the highest relative risk and which districts adjacent to that district also have a high risk, which allows for the appropriate actions to be taken by the government agencies and communities to mitigate the risk effect. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Adoption of digital technologies amidst COVID-19 and privacy breach in India and Bangladesh

This article problematizes the institutional void caused by the lack of accountable digital regulation in India and Bangladesh regarding the adoption of public health-related digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from literature review and preliminary interviews illustrate an emerged pattern in these countries that intersect governmentality and materiality with an absence of oversight. The findings further indicate an absence of privacy laws that leave citizens vulnerable to privacy breach. As surveillance becomes a social norm, authorities appear to turn a blind eye toward human rights while public remain unaware and uninformed. The article recommends that consumer-centric governmentality is needed to ensure the privacy and protection of consumers and citizens in India and Bangladesh.

An online observational study assessing clinical characteristics and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health: a perspective study from Bangladesh.

PURPOSE: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has cost numerous lives and induced tremendous mental stress among people. The purpose of this research was to determine anxiety and depression levels, clinical features, and the connections between demographic variables and depression prevalence as well as anxiety prevalence among reported COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh. METHODS: For the purpose of data collection, an online cross-sectional survey was carried out from May 26 to June 27, 2020, utilizing a Google adapted preformed questionnaire. The form was shared with a short overview and justification through Facebook, Twitter, Facebook messenger, Viber, and What's App. The Google form contains five parts: a brief introduction, an approval statement, demographics, clinical and radiological data, and mental health assessment by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Formal ethical clearance was taken from the Institute of Biological Science (IBSc), Bangladesh. Informed consent was ensured before participation. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-three (153) patients with COVID-19 who had an average age of 39.43 ± 17.59 years with male predominance (72%) were included. A total of 32.7% were doing health-care related jobs, and 17.7% lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Patients had a median income of 30,000 Bangladesh taka (BDT). Of all, 12.4% of the participants showed asymptomatic features, whereas 87.6% of patients were symptomatic and presented with fever (79%), cough (58.8%), myalgia (24.2%), breathlessness (23.5%), sore throat (21.6%), fatigue (19.6%), headache (13.7%), nausea and/or vomiting (11.8%), runny nose (9.8%), chest pain (9.2%), diarrhea (8.5%), stuffy nose (3.2%), ARDS (2.6%), oral ulcer (2.6%), and conjunctivitis (1.9%). Overall, the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 63.5% and 56.6%, respectively. Among the participants, 13.2% had only anxiety, 6.3% had only depression, and 50.3% had both. CONCLUSION: In most cases, middle age, male, and healthy workers were patients. Fever and cough were the standard presentations. Approximately two-thirds or 66.67% of patients had anxiety and depression, one or both.

Panic Buying in Bangladesh: An Exploration of Media Reports.

Background: As an erratic human behavior, panic buying is an understudied research area. Although panic buying has been reported in the past, it has not been studied systematically in Bangladesh. Aim: This study aimed to explore the characteristics of panic buying episodes in Bangladesh in comparison to current concepts. Methods: A retrospective and explorative search were done using the search engine Google on November 6, 2020, with the search term "panic buying in Bangladesh." All the available news reports published in the English language were extracted. A thorough content analysis was done focusing on the study objectives. Results: From the initial search, a total of 30 reports were extracted. However, six reports were not included based upon the exclusion criteria, resulting in an analysis of 24 reports. Five panic buying episodes were identified, discussing the precipitating events, responsible factors, goods acquired through panic buying, and prevention measures. Flood, curfew, COVID-19, and export ban were found to be precipitating events. Media reports frequently mentioned prevention strategies, expert opinion, supply chain status, rationing, and government action. The reported goods that were panic bought were items necessary for daily living such as rice, oil, spices, and safety products such as hand sanitizer and masks. Conclusion: The study revealed preliminary findings on panic buying in Bangladesh; however, they are aligned with the current concept of it. Further empirical studies are warranted to see the geographical variation, precise factors, and to test the culturally appropriate controlling measures.