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Considering the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) globally, excessive biomedical waste has become a new major threat to public health and the environment. Improper handling of hospital waste might aggravate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to medical staff and people who handle waste.
In April 2020, at least 14 500 tonnes of waste from health care was generated across the country because of COVID-19,
which has undoubtedly increased due to the increasing infection rate. Also, on average, 206 tonnes of medical waste are produced because of COVID-19 per day in Dhaka alone.
This poorly managed waste poses a large environmental threat and might create a prolonged and unwanted public health hazard and be a potential source of re-emerging infection.
Approximately 40 000 informal waste collectors working across the country are at high risk of getting infected by SARS-CoV-2 because they work without adequate protection.
There might be a serious risk of spreading SARS-CoV-2 if used masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment are not managed and disposed of properly. Additionally, household waste (eg, tissues, masks, gloves) puts waste management workers at increased health risk.
In Bangladesh, hospital waste is mainly managed by city corporations, third-party organisations, and non-governmental organisations. However, the capacities of these stakeholders do not comply with the requirements of a proper, environmentally safe medical waste disposal mechanism. A policy-level paradigm shift into a strategic, state-of-the-art medical waste management system is required. Failing to tackle the huge surge in medical waste amid COVID-19 is likely to put Bangladesh at further environmental and public health risk.
Supplementary Material
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Published: August 13, 2020
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