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This review aimed to examine the extent of Bangladesh’s COVID-19 preparedness and control measures up to 20 January 2021, and to draw some lessons for informing the current and future pandemic responses in Bangladesh in light of Vietnam’s responses, which had successfully controlled the pandemic. We performed a content analysis of data to identify similarities and critical discrepancies in epidemiological features and COVID-19 responses between the two countries. Findings indicated that Vietnam reported lower COVID-19 incidence (15 cases per million) and death rate (0.4 cases per million) than Bangladesh, with 3,129 cases per million and a death rate of 46 cases per million. Vietnam reported only 35 deaths, with 22 older individuals (>60 years) compared with 7,950 deaths in Bangladesh, with the highest death rate in older people (45%). An integrated approach combined with widespread contact tracing, better health investment, vaccine development, and strong political commitment enabled Vietnam to control the disease and mitigate its impacts. In contrast, Bangladesh seemed to adopt inadequate and untimely measures in the same domains, potentially contributing to relatively high COVID-19 infections and death rates. To control COVID-19 or inform responses to future pandemics, Bangladesh and similar countries can learn eight lessons from Vietnam. Such transferable responses could prepare health systems and populations for an appropriate global response to the next potential pandemic.

Globally, multiple factors have elevated the risk and contributed to the fast spread of COVID-19. Alongside this, unsolicited rumours and social stigma are believed to be two possible barriers to the effective prevention of the disease. Despite measures taken, rumours and social stigma related to COVID-19 tend to increase globally. Several studies document that rumours and social stigma may fuel the risk and rapid spread of COVID-19. However, how these rumours and social stigma act as barriers to the prevention of the COVID-19 outbreak remain unclear. This article aims to discuss how rumours and social stigma can undermine the preventive and clinical efforts to fight against the spread of COVID-19 and suggest potential policy implications for addressing rumours and social stigma and optimising preventive efforts. A narrative review of secondary sources of data, including published studies, grey literature and authentic press reports was conducted. The analysis indicates that unverified rumours associated with COVID-19 may weaken people’s preparedness for a new infectious disease by driving them to wrong treatment and preventing them from adhering to evidence-based medical suggestions and treatment. Findings also suggest that social stigma may reduce healthcare workers’ agency and self-respect to provide support, treatment and care for those with COVID-19. Social stigma may also constrain participation in screening, testing, quarantine, isolation, and treatment of the disease. This article offers six potential policy pathways and emphasises the national and international coordination of all stakeholders for addressing rumours and social stigma associated with COVID-19.

The highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected 213 countries and territories and six continents as of 1st June 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified this highly pathogenic outbreak as posing a severe health threat to the global population. The disease is particularly concerning for approximately one million Rohingya refugees living in the world’s largest refugee camp in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh because of existing poor health determinants. As of 15th May 2020, Bangladesh and UN officials confirmed that ‘two refugees tested positive at the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh where 1,900 other refugees — who may have been in contact with them — are being isolated for tests. Although the incidence rate is low at this stage, epidemiological modelling estimates a mortality rate of 1,500 Rohingya refugees per day. This high rates of mortality warrants to undertake rapid and comprehensive preventative measures to control the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequently reduce aggravating existing humanitarian crisis in the refugee camp. This paper highlights epidemiological insights into the need for a rapid response to COVID-19 in the refugee camps. Subsequently, it offers community, health, and political level-recommendations to help control the spread of COVID-19 among the extremely vulnerable Rohingya refugees. This paper draws upon secondary sources of data, grey literature, published studies as well as personal communication with field officers to offer translational strategies to control and prevent the spread of COVID 19 in the camps.