Coronavirus infection is a major threat to the global community, with confirmed cases and deaths estimated on November 7, 2020 at 48,786,440 and 1,23,4839 respectively. The first outbreak of coronavirus infection occurred in Wuhan, Hubei province in China. This virus has a high mutation rate and its massive transmission infects people very quickly. Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a major complication that occurs to the patient suffering from coronavirus infection. About 219 countries have been affected by this deadly virus resulting in an escalation in the number of cases. World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19 as a pandemic because of its significant spread throughout the world [1].
According to regions, Americas and Europe have been reported to have the highest number of COVID-19 cases 21,326,640 and 12,490,012 respectively. Till November 7, 2020 the five countries with the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases all over the world are- USA (9,504,758), India (8,462,080), Brazil (5,590,025), Russian Federation (1,733,440), France (1,567,332). USA (233,292), Brazil (161,106), India (125,562), Mexico (93,772) and UK (48,120) have the highest rates of fatal cases. So far, the total number of deaths in China stands at 4748 while the confirmed cases stand at 92,164 [1].
Bangladesh, a South Asian densely populated developing (lower-middle income) country with a total population of 161.3 million [2] is facing a disaster due to the emergence and spread of this virus. COVID-19 was first identified in Bangladesh on March 8, 2020. Till 2nd November 2020, the number of COVID 19 cases was 410,988with the death toll rises to 5966 [1].
High density of population makes Bangladesh more vulnerable to the spread of the virus compared to countries where population density is lower. As a result, a big challenge for Bangladesh is to limit the new cases as well as minimize the death rates.
The basic objective of this article is to analyse the healthcare, social and economic challenges faced by the country in handling the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also addresses the issue of compliance to rules and practices that need to be followed by the people in order to contain the spread of the virus.